A True Trainer
by ELEKIDPUNCH
Summary: Casey's a seasoned Pokemon Trainer who's finally taking on her Sinnoh League Challenge, which for her has been a long time coming. Along the way, she meets a few new friends and enemies, but with her Pokemon and her friends by her side, she has no doubt in her mind that she can conquer it all. Join Casey in her journey alongside Ash, Dawn and Brock throughout Sinnoh in this story!
1. Meeting Friends and Using New Tactics

**Hi, everybody! So I've been reading fan fictions for years, and I recently decided that I wanted to write one. Conveniently, around the time that I came to this decision, I was beginning to get back into the Pokemon Anime, specifically the DP Series, since that was the series from my childhood.** **That was when I came to the decision to write a story featured my OC, Casey, as she travels through Sinnoh with Ash and the Gang. I really liked the sound of that idea, which is why I decided to start this story.**

 **When it comes to writing chapters, as there is so many episodes from the Anime, I have decided to write specific episodes if they fit one or both of the following criteria:**

 **\- The episode interests me: Some episodes from the Anime interest me more than others. If the episode interests me, I'll write it. It's that simple.**

 **\- It's integral to the series plot line - Episodes featuring Team Galactic, Evolutions, Newly Caught Pokemon, Cynthia etc. All of those episodes will be present so that the plot line of the story makes sense.**

 **Slight disclaimer, my character is NOT the same Casey from the Johto seasons of the anime. My OC is different, I just chose to call her Casey because I like the name.**

 **Another disclaimer - I don't own Pokemon, but I wish that I did.**

 **So that's all I have to say. I hope that you all like the chapter! Reviews are appreciated, so please leave one if you like the chapter and want more! Thanks, everybody! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _This is it! This is it! This is it!_

"Are you the Oreburgh City Gym Leader?"

Casey comes to a sudden stop when she reaches the doors of the Gym, breathing heavily in an attempt to catch her breath. The people stood by the doors, and their Pokemon for that matter, are looking at her with bemusement. Casey would probably do the same thing if she was in their shoes. She's breathing so heavily as she's just ran halfway across the city to get to the Gym. It's rather late right now, to the point where the sun is beginning to set, and Casey is just itching to battle. This will be her first Sinnoh League Gym badge, and it feels as if it's been a long time coming.

A man with reddish-brown hair, clad in mining gear, turns to address Casey, a warm and welcoming smile on his face, "That's right. How can I help you?"

"My name's Casey!" Casey holds up her fist and smiles eagerly, "And I'd like to challenge you for a Gym Badge!"

"And I'll be happy to accept your challenge."

Casey's face lights up at his response. She's finally going to get to battle a Sinnoh Gym Leader! She's hoping for a very different challenge compared to what she's experienced in the past.

Casey's face drops, however, after his next few words, "But I'm sorry to say that it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

"Yes. You see, my Pokemon just finished up battling with Ash here," The Gym Leader motions to a raven-haired boy stood to his right, complete with a Pikachu perched on his shoulder, another slightly taller boy and a girl with blue hair stood next to said boy, "And they really gave it their all. It just wouldn't be fair to tire them out again, especially when they haven't fully recovered just yet."

Casey sighs defeatedly. The Gym Leader is right. If what he's saying is true, it's simply cruel to make his Pokemon battle again so quickly after their previous. Casey knows that Pokemon have a limit, and that limit is something that you simply don't cross. Casey has to admit that whilst she's disappointed that she doesn't get to battle right now, she respects the Gym Leader for his decision.

"I understand. It looks like we'll have to come back tomorrow Mon-." Casey's eyes go wide when she turns around, only to find that her partner isn't there, "Monferno! Oh, no! Monferno!"

"What's wrong?"

Casey turns back towards the Gym Leader and the others as Ash speaks up, the panic on her face growing by the second, "It's my Monferno! I swear he was with me just a second ago! This has never happened before! What am I gon-!"

Casey stops her hysterical shouts when she feels the ground beneath her crumble, a glowing fist rising up and striking her in the gut before she can fully react. She goes flying up into the air before coming back down again, landing a good few yards from where she was with a loud thud.

"Pika-pi!"

She feels somebody grab her by the arms, helping her sit up from the ground. She looks around, seeing that the Gym Leader as well as Ash and who Casey presumes are his friends are sat around her, concern written across all of their faces, "Are you all right?"

Ash whips his head around and faces Casey's 'attacker', glaring sharply in their direction, "What did you have to go and do that for? That wasn't nice!"

"Mon-Monferno!"

Casey thanks Ash for his concern, but reassures him that there's no need to yell at the Pokemon that attacked her. She manages to stand up from the ground, a wince crossing her face as she does, and stumbles over to Monferno, smiling down at her companion, "Sorry about that, pal. Did I rush off too quickly again?"

"Monferno!"

"Okay! Okay, I'm sorry!" Casey can't help but smile at her partner's response. He can be quite fussy at times, but he sure is strong and loyal, not to mention her best friend, "It looks like we're going to have to wait just a little bit longer before we get our first badge, Monferno."

"Mon-Monferno!"

Casey sighs. Monferno's really fired up and pumped to battle. It's just a shame that he'll have to wait a little bit longer. Casey suspects that her other Pokemon will be just as disappointed, unfortunately.

Casey's snapped out of her thoughts when she feels somebody walk up from behind her. She turns around as the blue-haired girl directs her Pokedex towards Monferno, the robotic voice of the Pokedex reciting it's Pokedex entry moments later.

 _"Monferno, the Playful Pokémon and the evolved form of Chimchar. Monferno launches aerial attacks off of ceilings and walls, and its fiery tail is used as one of its weapons."_

"So that's a Monferno, huh?"

"Sure is." Casey smiles confidently, "And Monferno's my powerhouse, ain't that right, pal?"

Monferno yells loudly and thrusts his fists into the air, the flame on his tail flaring viciously as he does show, further exerting his power. Of course Casey is proud of all of her Pokemon for even more things than just their power, but she'd say that Monferno is her strongest Pokemon, at least physically.

"I'm Dawn."

Casey looks away from Monferno as the blue haired girl introduces herself, offering a smile to Casey similar to that of the one the Gym Leader gave her as she introduces herself and her partner Pokemon, which just so happens to be a Piplup. The taller boy quickly introduces himself as Brock shortly afterwards; he is quickly followed by Ash, who gives himself his own formal introduction and introduces his own partner Pokemon, Pikachu.

"It's nice to meet you all." Casey looks over to the Gym Leader, a hint of uncertainty in her voice, "So, is it okay if we come back tomorrow?"

"Of course it is. I'm looking forward to it."

Casey nods respectfully to the Gym Leader and decides that now is best to make her leave. She wants to get back to the Pokemon Center before it gets too dark. It's not that she doesn't like sleeping outdoors (she's done that hundreds of times on her travels), but she figures that if there's a Pokemon Center nearby, it is far better to spend the night there, especially right before a big battle.

"Mon-Monferno!"

She stops when she hears her Pokemon's indignant shouts, turning towards Monferno with a confused look on her face, "What is it, Monferno?"

Monferno makes a punching gesture with his fists and continues to shout; it doesn't take long for Casey to figure out what he's trying to say, "I know that you want to battle, Monferno, but the Gym Leader can't right now. His Pokemon are exhausted. It just wouldn't be fair."

"Mon-ferno! Mon! Monferno!"

"Come on, Monferno! Please don't do this! You know that I would do something about this if I could!"

"I know what you can do."

Monferno and Casey abruptly stop arguing when Ash speaks up. They both look over at the boy in confusion, Casey quick to question what in the world he's talking about, "What are you talking about, Ash?"

"Battle us!"

Casey likes that idea. She hadn't even thought about that. He there is, a Trainer right in front of her, and she hadn't thought to ask him to battle. Sometimes her forgetfulness surprises even herself. She looks down at Monferno, who glances back at her with a certain look in his eyes. She recognises that look, and she doesn't even have to ask to know what his response to Ash's proposal is.

"Okay, we're in."

* * *

"The battle between Ash and Casey is about to begin. Each side will use three Pokemon, and the battle will be over when all of one side's Pokemon are unable to battle. Let the battle begin!"

Casey expects Ash to reach for one of the three Pokeballs that are clipped to his belt, so she's surprised when he instead looks down at his Pikachu, sending it out onto the battlefield instead. His voice is brimming with confidence, "I'm going to start out with Pikachu, okay?"

"Sounds good to me, Ash. In that case, I'm gonna go with Monferno." Casey glances down at the Playful Pokemon stood by her side, "Ready, pal?"

Monferno bounds onto the battlefield, letting out a similar battle cry as he did earlier before getting into a battle stance. He sure is pumped to battle.

"You can have the first move, Ash!"

Ash looks a bit bemused at Casey's willingness to give up the first attack, which in many battles give the respective trainer the upper hand, but he seems to brush it off within a matter of moments. That's exactly what Casey wanted. He points forwards as he yells out his first command, "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu surges towards Monferno with impressive speed. Casey smirks at this. It's exactly what she needs, "Monferno, up!"

Monferno leaps into the air as Pikachu comes to a sudden stop back down on the ground, Monferno's sudden movement catching both Ash and Pikachu off guard. Casey even hears Dawn gasp in shock from where she's watching. Brock remains surprisingly calm about it all, although from what Casey's gathered so far, he seems to be a rather calm guy.

"That was fast!" Ash looks up at Monferno, who is still high up in the air, with awe for a few moments, but is quick to compose himself and focus on his Pokemon, "Quick, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pi-ka-chu!"

The powerful Thunderbolt surges directly upwards and towards Monferno, who is just beginning his descent back towards the ground. Casey wastes no time in countering Ash, commanding Monferno to use Flamethrower directly at the Thunderbolt. The two vigorous attacks meet each other in the middle and cancel each other, causing a huge explosion to erupt and cloak the battlefield in thick, black smoke, the force of the attack propelling Monferno further into the air.

"I can't see a thing!" Ash gasps, covering his mouth to avoid any of the smoke going into his airways, "Pikachu, keep an eye out for Monferno."

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Do you know where Pikachu is, Monferno?" Casey calls out to her companion, who gives her a slight nod to confirm her suspicions, "Okay, then let's do it! Quick, Monferno, use Mach Punch and then dig underground!"

Monferno's fist glows brightly as he charges up his power, plunging down into the smoke and towards his target with a battle cry.

"Pikachu, dodge it!"

The smoke is stripped away from the field just as Monferno dives deep underground, the impact from his last attack sending Pikachu flying back towards Ash, who calls out in concern for his Pokemon, "Pikachu, are you okay?!"

"Pi-." The electricity on Pikachu's cheeks fizzles as the Electric Mouse Pokemon struggles to stand, clearly having taken a lot of damage from Monferno's attack. Casey's not surprised. It was a direct hit, "Pika!"

"Are you good to keep going, Ash?"

Ash smiles confidently over at Casey, "We sure are. Ain't that right, buddy?"

"Pikachu!"

"Good. Because I've been waiting to try this next tactic out." Casey smirks confidently, preparing to initiate the brand new manoeuvre that she and Monferno have been working on, "You know what to do, Monferno!"

Everything is silent for a few seconds, everybody waiting in anticipation for Monferno's next move, even Casey. She doesn't even know if this'll work. She just hopes that it does.

She knows that it's worked when Pikachu suddenly leaps up in the air, letting out a cry of discomfort. Casey smiles. The initial part of the manoeuvre has worked, now all they need is for the second part to follow through, "Okay, Monferno, Pikachu's up in air! Do it now!"

The ground cracks as Monferno jumps up from underneath the dirt and right below where Pikachu is, in the form of a flaming wheel. Casey calls it the Flame Wheel-Dig combo. She knows that it needs a better name, but it'll do for now.

"Pikachu!" Ash cries out as Monferno makes yet another direct hit, this second one knocking the Electric Mouse Pokemon out cold. The raven-haired Trainer quickly rushes towards his Pokemon and lifts Pikachu up into his arms, congratulating it on it's willpower throughout the battle.

"Your Pikachu sure is fast, Ash." Ash glances over at Casey as she speaks to him from over on the other side of the battlefield, Monferno having already returned to her side, "If it wasn't for the smoke, I'm sure that Pikachu would've dodged our attacks."

"Thanks. But don't forget, this battle is no where near over just yet!"

"You're right about that." Casey reaches for her next Pokemon, who is inside of one of the Pokeballs attached to her belt, "But, I warn you, my next Pokemon is just as determined as Monferno. Lets show them what you've got, E-!"

"Hold it!"

Casey stops mid-sentence as Brock's voice cuts over her own, both Casey and Ash turning to look at him with uncertainty, "Brock, what is it?"

"It's getting late. Your Pokemon aren't going to be at their best if they're tired. I say that we pick this up again at a better time."

Ash looks slightly disheartened at this, but he relents and agrees with what Brock is saying. Casey agrees with him too. Monferno does look rather tired, and he didn't go through too much exertion throughout the battle, which only further reinforces the point that Brock is trying to make.

"Besides, I'm sure that all of that battling must've worked up quite the appetite." Brock kneels down beside Monferno, playfully stroking the top of his head, "Isn't that right, Monferno?"

"Mon-Monferno!"

Casey smiles as Monferno cheers excitedly at Brocks proposal. She has to admit, she could probably eat something herself. She skipped lunch today, and she's not the greatest at cooking, so unless she's at a Pokemon Center she doesn't really have a good meal. Most of the stuff that she tries to prepare just comes out burnt.

"Let's eat!"

* * *

"Right, so let me get this straight. Ash, you're training to take on the Sinnoh League whilst Dawn is competing in festivals to try and become a Top Coordinator and Brock, you're trying to become a Pokemon Breeder?"

Casey looks at her newfound friends sceptically, not entirely sure if she's got all of her facts straight. They're all currently sat inside of the Pokemon Center, Ash, Dawn and Casey sat at a table whilst Brock stands at another, preparing the food for everybody. Apparently he's quite the culinary genius.

"That's right." Ash says, "We've all got our own separate dreams, but by travelling together we can help each other become stronger and more skilled."

Casey nods. That seems like a smart idea. Even though they all have different ambitions, there's probably a lot that they can all learn from each other.

"So, what about you, Casey?" Dawn asks with interest, "What made you interested in Gym Battles?"

"Judging by the strength of your Monferno, I'd say that you have experience in competing for badges."

Casey looks over at Brock and offers him a nod before looking over at Monferno, a smile crossing her face as she watches him play around with Pikachu and Piplup, "That's right. You see, I'm actually from Pastoria City."

"Pastoria City?"

Casey turns back to face Ash and Dawn, who are listening to her with intrigue, and nods, "Yep. In fact, there's a Pokemon Gym there too. Crasher Wake's gym."

"Oh, I've heard of him." Brock says as he continues to put together both their food and their Pokemon's, "Doesn't he train Water-Type Pokemon?"

"Right. And he sure is strong." Casey says, taking pride in the fact that she comes from a region with such strong Gym Leaders, "I lived in Pastoria City with my Grandfather. He used to be a Pokemon Breeder back in his time, and even now he still loves to care for Pokemon. In fact, my other Pokémon are being looked after by him right now."

"Other Pokemon?" Ash's voice is full of confusion, "You have other Pokemon?"

"Of course I do. You see, I've actually travelled through both the Kanto and Johto regions before I decided to take on the Sinnoh League."

"What made you decide to do that?"

"Monferno did." The others all make confused sounds at Casey's statement, so she is quick to interject and clarify what she means, "I actually helped my Grandfather raise Monferno back when it just hatched from an egg and into ka Chimchar. I really wanted to take on the Sinnoh League with Monferno, but back when I was just about ready to start out on my journey, Monferno was still too little to go out on such a big journey."

The others all make small hums of understanding, signifying that they are following along with what Casey is explaining.

"That's when my Grandfather suggested that I travel to Kanto and Johto, so that I could still go out on a journey but I could save my Sinnoh League challenge for when Monferno was ready. So, that's exactly what I did. I travelled through Johto and collected all of the badges, before heading over to Kanto and challenging the Gym Leaders there. My grandfather even sent Chimchar over to Kanto for the final part of my journey there, and it was then when he evolved into Monferno."

Ash smiles over at Casey, "From what I hear, it sounds like you and Monferno have a really strong bond."

"That's right." Casey nods confidently, "Me and Monferno are a team. I can count on Monferno and, at the same time, Monferno can count on me."

"That's just how it should be."

"Dinner is served!" Brock proclaims. He begins to set down bowls of mouth-watering soup on the table before he sets down numerous bowls of Pokemon food on the floor. It looks like there's enough to feed thirty Pokémon which sure is a good thing, especially when Ash, Dawn and Brock let their numerous Pokémon out of their poke balls to eat.

"Dig in, everybody!"

The Pokemon all let out cries of excitement. Some of them begin to eat right away, whilst some of them look up at Casey either curiosity. Ash is quick to notice, and wastes no time in reassuring the Pokemon on who exactly she is.

"Hey, everybody! This is Casey and her partner, Monferno! Why don't you all say hi?"

The Pokemon all let out welcoming cries, well, all of them excluding Brocks Croagunk, who sorta just stares at Casey silently. She has to admit that it's kinda creepy.

"Hey, Casey." The sound of Dawns voice catches Casey attention; she turns to face the Coordinator, "What about your other Pokémon?"

"Oh, right!" Casey reaches for the two occupied Pokeballs attached to her belt, tossing them up into the air with gusto, "Let's go, guys!"

Her other two Pokemon burst out of their Pokeballs, making their presence known by crying out as they appear. Ash, Dawn and Brock look at her Pokémon in awe, the first of the three the most excited.

"Cool, you have an Elekid!"

"And a Dratini!" Dawn reaches down and picks up Dratini, hugging it tightly and speaking in an overexcited voice, "It's so cute!"

Dratini coos excitedly in Dawn's arms, the sight of it making Casey smile. Dratini loves it when she gets loads of attention. She never really tries to get it, but she sure does love it when she receives it nonetheless.

 _"Dratini, the Dragon Pokémon. Dratini sheds its skin as it grows, often doing so while hidden behind large powerful waterfalls."_

Casey turns towards Ash as he pockets his Pokédex, having just scanned Dratini into it. Casey actually has her own Pokédex, but she hasn't made much use of it since arriving in Sinnoh. She's already seen a lot of the Pokemon that she's founds in Sinnoh so far, and as of such their entries are already logged in her Pokédex.

"Elekid, Dratini. I want you two to meet Ash, Dawn, Brock and all of their Pokémon. Monferno and I met them outside of the Oreburgh Gym."

As Casey mentions the word 'Gym', both Elekid and Dratini gain serious expressions on their faces, both of them as eager to battle as Monferno was earlier. Casey smiles at their enthusiasm, "We'll be battling first thing tomorrow, guys, so don't you worry, and I know that all three of you will give it all you've got! So let's make sure that we're well fed and rested for it, okay?"

All three of her Pokémon cry out in approval; they move to go and eat alongside the other Pokémon, Elekid and Dratini quickly making friends with them all much like Monferno already has.

"Hey, Casey." Ash says, Casey directing her attention towards him as he speaks up, "About your battle, I'd really appreciate it if you let me watch your battle."

His suggestion catches her off guard, "You want to watch my battle?"

"I sure do! I really want to see how strong Elekid and Dratini are as well, especially after battling against Monferno! I think that it'd be awesome to see!"

Casey ponders on his words for a few moments. She's watched other people battle certain Gym Leaders before herself before, and all of which were exhilarating to watch, but she's never stayed around to watch somebody else battle once she's gotten a particular badge. It's not that she's disrespectful, it's more that she just wants to get out and earn her next badge as soon as possible. Nevertheless, she figures that there's nothing wrong with Ash's proposal, and accepts it without any more deliberation.

"Sure, Ash. Why not?"

Ash cheers at her response, his overexcited reaction making everybody laugh. Casey has to admit, he sure does love Pokemon, "I can give you some pointers on how to defeat Roark." Ash says, excitement still present in his voice, "His Pokemon sure are strong."

"That sounds great, Ash. Thank you."

Casey smiles over at her newfound friends and simply spends the next hour talking to them and eating some of Brock's delicious food, exciting in the fact that by this time tomorrow, she would've taken on her first Sinnoh Gym Leader.


	2. Taking on Gym Leader Number 1

_Ash cheers at her response, his overexcited reaction making everybody laugh. Casey has to admit, he sure does love Pokemon, "I can give you some pointers on how to defeat Roark." Ash says, excitement still present in his voice, "His Pokemon sure are strong."_

 _"That sounds great, Ash. Thank you."_

 _Casey smiles over at her newfound friends and simply spends the next hour talking to them and eating some of Brock's delicious food, exciting in the fact that by this time tomorrow, she would've taken on her first Sinnoh Gym Leader._

* * *

"The Gym Battle between Casey from Pastoria City, and Roark, the Oreburgh Gym Leader, will now begin! Each side will have the use of three Pokemon, and the battle will be over when all of either sides Pokemon are unable to battle! In addition, only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon!"

Casey holds a calm yet confident stance as she stands on her end of the battlefield. She feels ready for this battle; her Pokemon are all fired up, and Ash gave her some tips on what to watch out for in the battle, specifically for Roark's Rampardos. Apparently it can use a powerful Zen Headbutt, but Casey thinks that she's figured out a good counter for that. She hasn't had the chance to test it out with her Pokemon yet, so she hopes that it'll work out.

"Good luck, Casey!"

Casey looks over at Ash, Dawn and Brock, who are sat in the stands in anticipation for her battle with Roark. She smiles over at them, "Thanks, guys! We'll do our best!"

"Are you ready to go, Casey?"

"I sure am!" Casey beams as she directs her attention back towards Roark. She reaches for her first Pokeball and throws it out onto the field with enthusiasm, "Dratini, lets show them what you've got!"

"Geodude, let's go!"

Both Pokeballs hit the field at the exact same time, each respective Pokemon emerging out onto the field with determination in their eyes. Just by looking at Geodude, Casey can tell that it's just as pumped to battle as her Pokemon are, which is just how it should be.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Dratini, let's start this out by using Dragon Rage!"

Dratini cranes it's small head back before lunging it forwards, unleashing it's Dragon Rage attack at full strength. A vivid surge of red light speeds towards Geodude, Dratini's intense power clearly exhibited through the attack.

"Dodge it, Geodude!" Roark orders. The Rock Pokemon obeys his orders and easily dodges the attack, its speed temporarily stunning Casey, "Now, Geodude! Use Rollout!"

"Geo-dude!"

Geodude utilises its surprising speed and obeys its trainer, its Rollout attack hitting Dratini head on, sending the Dragon Pokemon spiralling backwards. That hit sure was powerful.

"Dratini!" Casey calls out in concern to her injured Pokemon, "Are you okay?!"

Dratini manages to get up without much struggle, letting out a battle cry as it does to show that its not out for the count just yet. Casey can't help but feel proud of her Pokemon's determination.

"Dragon Rage is a powerful move, Casey!" Roark calls over to her as Geodude moves to stand in front of him again, "But no matter what the move, it's useless if it doesn't hit the Pokemon you're trying to attack."

Casey groans. Roark's right about that. If she can just lure Geodude in, her plan will work perfectly. She just needs it to use Rollout again, "Dratini, stand your ground until I say otherwise."

Dratini turns around and looks at her fretfully, clearly not understanding what her plan is. Casey gives her a confident smile, "Trust me. Just wait for my signal, okay?"

Dratini contemplates Casey's words momentarily before nodding, turning back to face Geodude and standing her ground, just as Casey ordered. She just hopes that it'll lure Roark in.

"Well, if they aren't going to attack, we might as well! Geodude, use Rollout again!"

Geodude charges at Dratini once again, who simply stands there just as Casey ordered.

 _A little more. A little more._

Geodude gets closer and closer to Dratini, who Casey can tell is struggling to confidently stand its ground.

 _Just a bit more._

When Geodude is only a couple of yards away from Dratini, Casey decides that at that moment it is best to put her plan into motion, "Okay, Dratini! Up!" Dratini obeys her command and launches up above Geodude's attack, much to the surprise of Roark, "Now use Slam on Geodude!"

Dratini shoots down from where it is up in the air and directly onto Geodude, hitting the Rock Pokemon with intense strength. The attack doesn't do too much damage, due to the fact that Normal-Type moves aren't very effective on Rock-Type Pokemon, but that wasn't Casey's intention in the first place.

"That was a smart strategy, Casey." Roark congratulates whilst his Geodude tries to regain its composure, "But you should know that Normal-Type moves don't do much damage to a Rock-Type like Geodude."

"Oh, I know that. I wasn't trying to cause damage." Casey smirks as Roark looks at her, completely bemused by her response. She hears confused murmurs from Ash and Dawn on the sidelines, but she doesn't turn to fully take in their reactions, instead opting to initiate the second part of her plan, "Okay, Dratini! Use Draco Meteor!"

Everybody else gasps in shock at Casey's command, all of them stunned at the fact that Dratini knows such a powerful move. Casey suspects that they're even more shocked when numerous fiery orbs rain down on the battlefield, many of them colliding with Geodude with extreme force. Thick dust fills the air between the two Pokemon, and it's only once it diffuses away that Casey sees the result of Dratini's mighty attack.

"Geodude is unable to battle!" The referee points over at Casey and Dratini, "Dratini is the winner!"

"Yes!" Casey smiles brightly over at Dratini, who is jumping around victoriously herself, "Great job, Dratini! You really gave it your all!"

Ash and Dawn congratulate her from the sidelines; Brock chooses to remain silent as he observes. Casey thanks them for their support by smiling gratefully over at them. Dratini offers them a thankful cry to accompany it.

"I must admit, Casey, I'm impressed." Roark says as he pockets Geodude's Pokeball, the injured Pokemon now concealed inside of it, "How did that Dratini of yours learn such a powerful move, and master it, no less?"

"We met this really powerful trainer in Blackthorn City over in the Johto Region. He helped Dratini learn the move and we've been perfecting it ever since."

Dratini cries out in agreement. Roark smirks as he reaches for his next Pokeball, holding it out in front of himself assertively, "You may have won that first fight, but we aren't done just yet! Onix, let's go!"

Onix emerges next, roaring loudly as if it to make its large presence even more well known on the battlefield. It honestly doesn't even need to make too much noise; it's not exactly hard to notice it.

"Dratini, are you good to keep going?"

Dratini responds with enthusiasm, which Casey takes as a yes. There's no need for a substitution just yet.

"Then lets do this!" Casey points forwards with gusto as she orders her next attack, "Dratini, use Dragon Rage!"

Dratini unleashes the fiery attack once again but Roark is quick to counter, much like last time, "Onix, use Screech!"

Onix lets out an ear-splitting cry, the sound of it forcing everybody to cover their ears because it's so unbearable. The Screech attack causes Dragon Rage to complete fizzle away and the force of it sends Dratini spiralling backwards and crashing into one of the numerous pointed stones scattered across the battlefield.

"Dratini! No!"

Roark smirks as his Onix settles back into a more relaxed stance, clearly pleased with how well his Pokemon pulled off its last move. Dratini stumbles out of the pile of smashed rock that she's ended up in, clearly having taken a fair amount of damage from that last attack.

"Dratini, are you okay?"

Dratini responds with a weak cry. Casey knows that Dratini can't take much more damage, but she also knows that Dratini hates to back down from a battle. Dratini's gonna want to fight until the very end, so Casey decides that it's best for them to go for all out offense. They might as well try to do as much damage to Onix as possible.

"Onix, use Stealth Rock!"

The fiery orbs rain down once again just as Onix's Stealth Rock attack settles into places, allowing it to remain undamaged from Dratini's attack. Onix, however, does not remain undamaged, and is hit numerous times before the attack dies down. It does a substantial amount of damage, but it's still not enough to take it down, and now Casey has the Stealth Rock attack to worry about. That's sure to put her at a disadvantage later on.

"Onix, let's finish this up with Double-Edge!"

 _Oh no! Double-Edge is strong!_

Casey takes a moment to consider her options before deciding on her next move, knowing that Dratini would agree with it in an instant, "Okay, Dratini! Let's fight fire with fire! Use Twister!"

Dratini's Twister attack speeds towards the approaching Onix, who is mere moments away from colliding head on with Dratini. The Twister attack seems to buffer Onix slightly, but it powers through and hits Dratini with the full force of Double-Edge, the sheer power of it rendering Dratini unable to battle.

"Dratini!"

"Dratini is unable to battle!" The referee, this time around, points over in Roark's direction, "And so the winner is Onix!"

Casey holds up Dratini's Pokeball and returns her beloved Pokemon, smiling down at the Pokeball as she holds it in her hands, "Good job, Dratini. You battled really well." She pockets Dratini's Pokeball and reaches for her next one, holding it up and staring at Roark with fiery determination, "Don't get too comfortable, Roark! We're still going to give it everything we've got!"

"Oh, I'm counting on it!"

Casey smirks. She has faith in this next Pokemon, "Elekid, get fired up!"

Elekid appears in a flash of bright light, it's electricity crackling in anticipation for the battle. Casey smirks at his reaction, "Watch out, Roark! Elekid's ready to g-!"

Casey falters when numerous pointed stones smash into Elekid, causing him a hefty amount of damage. When the rocks disappear, Casey can see how hurt Elekid is, a grimace evident on his face, "Elekid, are you okay?"

Elekid shakes himself off and lets out a battle cry, making it clear that he's not giving in. That's good. Onix has already endured a fair amount of damage. If Elekid can land the particular attack that she's going for, then Onix should be down for the count.

"Elekid, use Quick Attack!"

Elekid rushes towards Onix with incredible speed whilst Roark simply standing there with a confident look on his face, "I thought that you would've learnt by now, Casey. Normal-Type moves don't do a thing against Rock-Type Pokemon. Elekid is just wasting his energy."

"No he's not."

Roark's confidence disappears, confusion and worry now replacing it.

"Elekid, jump up onto Onix's head and use Hammer Arm!"

That throws everybody off. Even Brock makes a small comment this time around, although Casey doesn't hear exactly what he says. He was a Rock-Type Gym Leader, after all, so she understands why he's been observing her battle so closely yet quietly the entire time.

"How does Elekid know Hammer Arm?!"

Casey doesn't answer Roark's question, instead choosing to focus on Elekid as it's Hammer Arm attack collides with Onix's head, causing the Rock Snake Pokemon to tumble to the ground, it's weight making the whole room shake and causing dust to spread across the battlefield once again.

Elekid jumps out of the thick dust cloud with ease, landing comfortably just in front of Casey as the smoke begins to clear away, revealing the outcome of the powerful Fighting-Type attack.

"Onix is unable to battle! The winner is Elekid!"

Casey congratulates Elekid for his efforts as Roark returns Onix to its Pokeball, reaching for his belt and grabbing his third and final Pokeball. Casey already knows exactly what Pokemon is inside of that last Pokeball, and she has a feeling that it'll be even more powerful than both Geodude and Onix combined.

"Your Pokemon sure do know some impressive moves, Casey. But there's more to a battle than the moves that your Pokemon know." He throws his last Pokeball out onto the battlefield confidently, "Rampardos, let's go!"

"Ram-parr!"

 _This is it! We've gotta go all out if we want to win this!_

"Watch out, Casey!" Casey looks over to the stands when Ash shouts over to her, "Rampardos can use some really powerful moves and it's super fast! Be careful out there!"

"Thanks, Ash! We will!" Casey smiles back at him before directing her attention back to the battle field. She yells out her first command, "Alright, Elekid! Use Thunderbolt on the field!"

Elekid unleashes an almighty Thunderbolt, which causes many shattered shards of rock to fly up in the air. Casey smirks. That's just what she was going for, "Elekid, jump up on the stones and use them to get to Rampardos!"

Elekid obeys, jumping between the rocks similarly to how an Aipom would jump from tree to tree. It's rather impressive to watch, actually. Elekid continues to jump from stone to stone at a decent pace until he is directly above Rampardos, "Perfect, Elekid! Now, jump down and use Hammer Arm on Rampardos!"

"Oh no, you don't! Counter it with Head Smash, Rampardos!"

Casey's stunned at Roark's command. She heard from Ash that as a Cranidos, Roark's signature Pokemon could jump up rather high, but she naturally assumed that upon evolving the Head Butt Pokemon had lost some of this aerial mobility. Boy, was she wrong about that.

The two powerful attacks collide, and whilst Elekid's Hammer Arm does cause some damage, the complete and utter power of Rampardos' attack overpowers Elekid. The Electric-Type goes flying up into the air before crashing loudly back down to the ground again, completely wiped out from the attack.

"Elekid is unable to battle! The winner is Rampardos!"

Casey sighs and returns to Elekid to his Pokeball, praising him for his performance in battle. Like Dratini, he gave it all he had, and that's all that Casey can ask for. Her situation right now could be much more in her favour, but she hasn't give up just yet. She's still got her last Pokemon to go, after all.

"You see, Casey." Roark's voice catches her attention, "Your Pokemon sure are strong, and whilst your strategy is clever, it's far too reliant on your surroundings and how your opponents Pokemon can react to their surroundings. Against a Pokemon with a lack of mobility, I'm sure that it works perfectly. But against a Pokemon like Rampardos, who can react well to its surroundings, you're going to run into some problems."

Casey silently agrees with what Roark is saying, although she doesn't really want to admit that it's true. Her height strategy isn't going to put a dent in Rampardos. She needs to go at it through a different angle for this final Pokemon, and that's exactly what she intends to do.

"Monferno, you're up!"

Monferno bursts out of its Pokeball and flares the flame on its tail, showing its eagerness to battle. However, that fire is soon quelled when the Stealth Rocks come into effect once again, causing a slight amount of damage to Monferno by encasing him in a wall of rock before disappearing again.

"Monferno, this is it! You're the only one left! Do you think that you can win this?"

"Mon-Monferno!"

Casey smiles at her partner Pokemon for his resilience, and decides that there's no point in waiting around any longer, "Alright, Monferno! I need you to turn and face me!"

"Mon?"

Monferno, like everybody else in the room, looks at Casey in bemusement. Casey gives Monferno a reassuring smile, "Trust me, pal. I've thought this through."

At her words, any form of hesitance is wiped from Monferno's mind; the Playful Pokemon obeys his trainers orders and turns to face her instead of looking at his opponent. Roark is initially confused by this, but he chooses to take control of the battle instead of waiting around, "Rampardos, use Zen Headbutt!"

 _Perfect!_

Monferno begins to grow anxious, likely because he can hear Rampardos' thundering footsteps approaching. Casey knows that her Pokemon is worried, but she also knows that there's no need to be, as if her plan works, Monferno should come out of this mostly unscathed.

She waits until Roark's Pokemon is once again just a few yards away from Monferno before yelling out her order, "Okay, Monferno! Now use Dig!"

Monferno obeys, disappearing underneath the ground as Rampardos speeds past, much to Roark's surprise. This is the quick plan she came up with to counter Zen Headbutt. She already knew that the attack can make Pokemon flinch, but if the Pokemon doesn't look at their opponent when they're using the move, then they have nothing to flinch at, and Monferno doesn't have to see what's going on as long as Casey can.

Casey watches with satisfaction as Rampardos' eyes frantically dart around the ground of the battlefield; the Pokemon is clearly trying to figure out exactly where Monferno is.

"Rampardos, keep an eye out for Monferno!"

Now that Rampardos is confused, she can have Monferno finish off the manoeuvre, "Quick, Monferno! Jump up and use Mach Punch!"

Monferno does just that, his glowing fist emerging from the ground and colliding directly with Rampardos' face, dealing major damage. Just what they need right about now.

"Now use Flamethrower!"

"You do the same, Rampardos!"

The rays of boiling hot fire meet in the middle, both attacks as equally powerful as the other. Thick, black smoke cloaks the battlefield, both Pokemon hidden amongst the dark visage. Casey knows that now's their chance to win this.

"Monferno, use Mach Punch! And give it all you've got!"

"You use Head Smash, Rampardos!"

A bright flash forms as the two powerful moves collide, the smoke clearing away as the flash engulfs the battle field instead. Casey braces herself as a strong gust of wind blasts past her as a result of the intense flash, looking back onto the battlefield as the flash disappears into nothing, showing the outcome of the battle.

Monferno is still standing, albeit barely, whilst Rampardos is down on the ground, out cold from the power of Monferno's Mach Punch.

"Rampardos is unable to battle and Monferno is the winner!" The referee declares, "That means that the victory goes to Casey of Pastoria City!"

 _We did it! We won!_

Casey rushes onto the battlefield and hugs her partner Pokemon tightly, thanking it for its contributions in the battle. Monferno pulled through and won it for them all, after all. But, of course, Casey is proud of all of her Pokemon's efforts.

"You were awesome, Monferno!" She beams at the tired Pokemon, who gives her a weak, yet happy, cry in response.

They really did it. They defeated their first Sinnoh Gym Leader.

* * *

"This is all yours, Casey." Roark passes over the Coal Badge with a smile. The two of them are currently stood outside of the Gym along with Ash, Dawn and Brock; all of Casey's Pokemon are inside of their Pokeballs now, and she intends to take them to a Pokemon Center as soon as she can, "Congratulations, Casey. The Coal Badge is all yours."

Casey accepts the badge with a smile, "Thank you, Roark. My Pokemon and I really enjoyed our battle."

"I'm glad to hear that. I assume that you'll be heading to Eterna City for your next Gym Battle?"

Casey nods. Eterna City is next on her list. She plans on traveling up to Eterna and then to Hearthome, though she's not sure where she's going to go after that just yet. She'll just have to cross that bridge when she comes to it.

"Well, I look forward to hearing about your victory." Roark glances between the four kids and smiles, "Good luck to you all."

"Thank you, Roark."

Roark gives them all one last smile before turning around and heading back inside of the Gym, no doubt off to prepare for further challengers that are likely to arrive later in the day. He really is a formidable Gym Leader.

"So I guess that's that." Ash says. Casey turns towards the raven-haired trainer and the others with a smile, "So you're heading for Eterna City too, right?"

"Right." Casey nods, responding to Ash's question with enthusiasm, "That's where the next Gym Leader is, so that's where me and my Pokemon are heading!"

"Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't you come with us?"

Casey looks at Ash in shock at his suggestion. Casey's never travelled with anybody other than her Pokemon before, so the concept is completely and utterly foreign to her. At the same time, however, it sounds like it could be a lot of fun. There's probably many things that Casey can learn from Ash, Dawn and Brock, and travelling with them would be the perfect way to do that. Besides, despite the fact that she's only known them for a short time, they've become good friends to her, and her Pokemon seem to get along great with all of theirs.

When she thinks it through, there's one clear answer to Ash's suggestion, and she knows that her Pokemon would agree with it wholeheartedly.

"Alright. I'm in. Let's do this!"

* * *

 **Here's the second chapter everybody! I want to say thanks to everybody who followed, favourited or reviewed the last chapter! Your support really makes me happy and further inspires me to write, so thanks a lot!**

 **After reading the reviews I received, I've come to the conclusion that I perhaps didn't make it overly clear how this story will work. I'll give some clarification on that below:**

 **\- I intend for this story to act as a sort of retelling of the Anime, but including Casey as she travels along with Ash, Dawn and Brock.**

 **\- However, I won't just write out episodes and add in the occasional line for Casey, as who would want to read that? If I can't give Casey her own unique role in the episode, then there's no use in me writing it.**

 **\- I already have Casey's entire Pokemon Team planned out and her own story arcs planned out too. I can assure you, I believe that those will be exciting to read about.**

 **\- I also do not intend to involve any relationships in this story. I do have my own personal preferences on ships in Pokemon, but I will not be associating those with this story.**

 **If anybody would like to know just what episodes I'll be turning into chapters, feel free to PM and ask and I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.**

 **As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and, once again, thanks for all of the support everybody left on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy!**


	3. The Arrival of a Pokemon Hunter

_Casey looks at Ash in shock at his suggestion. Casey's never travelled with anybody other than her Pokemon before, so the concept is completely and utterly foreign to her. At the same time, however, it sounds like it could be a lot of fun. There's probably many things that Casey can learn from Ash, Dawn and Brock, and travelling with them would be the perfect way to do that. Besides, despite the fact that she's only known them for a short time, they've become good friends to her, and her Pokemon seem to get along great with all of theirs._

 _When she thinks it through, there's one clear answer to Ash's suggestion, and she knows that her Pokemon would agree with it wholeheartedly._

 _"Alright. I'm in. Let's do this!"_

* * *

Casey walks alongside Ash, Dawn and Brock as they reach the top of a small incline, all of them pausing and marvelling at the breathtaking view they find at the top of said incline. They're currently on their way to Floaroma Town which is en route to Eterna City, and it also just so happens to be the location of Dawn's next Pokemon Contest. Apparently she's already competed in a contest, the one in Jubilife City to be precise, but she didn't do so well; she plans to turn things around at this next contest, and Casey and the others can't wait to see her compete.

Since leaving Oreburgh City, Casey sure has seen some interesting things on her travels with Ash and the Gang. Dawn recently caught a Pachirisu with quite the fiery personality, and around that time Casey also had the displeasure of meeting Team Rocket. Apparently Jessie, James and their talking Meowth (Casey was stunned when she heard it speak for the first time, to say the least) have been pestering Ash and Brock for as long as they've been travelling together, but apparently they don't usually cause too much of an issue for them, since Pikachu and their other Pokemon often defeat them with ease.

"Whoa! What a beautiful field of flowers!"

Casey silently agrees with Dawn's stunned remark. From the top of the hilly pathway, they can clearly see the entire field, which is brimming with flowers of a variety of colours and luscious green grass. It truly is a sight to behold.

Ash makes his own remark about how amazing the flowers look, but Casey's attention is quickly drawn away from Ash when a large shadow is suddenly cast over them. The four trainers look up, in the hope that they can find out what's causing the shadow, and the sight that they see is more shocking than even the flowers.

It's a Salamence, and who Casey assumes is its trainer atop of it, flying straight for small cottage at the end of the flower field. Casey reaches into her pocket and quickly withdraws her Pokedex. She's seen a Salamence before, but she's yet to scan it into her Pokedex. The last time she saw a Salamence, she was so in awe of it's size and strength that she forgot to scan it in before it disappeared.

 _"Salamence, the Dragon Pokémon. As a result of a powerful desire to fly, Salamence were able to trigger the cells in their body and cause them to grow wings."_

"Something doesn't feel right about this." Casey remarks as she pockets her Pokedex once again.

"What do you mean, Casey?"

Casey watches with skepticism as the Salamance lands down by the cottage, but she's too far away at the moment to see much other than that, "I don't know, but I say that we check it out. Come on!"

Casey begins to run towards the cottage and despite their confused shouts, the others are soon to follow. She runs with an odd sense of determination; she has an uneasy feeling in her gut, so perhaps that's what's making her run so fast towards something she has no idea about.

It turns out that the uneasy feeling in her gut was correct. When she and the others reach the cottage, they find that a Gardevoir has somehow been turned to stone by the woman who was on the back of the Salamance, the Dragon Pokemon stood just behind its trainer. An Ariados is also stood beside the woman, glaring menacingly at another woman opposite it, who is bound to a nearby tree by some kind of web. Casey takes a bet that its from a String Shot attack.

"Gardevoir!"

The woman bound to the tree cries out in anguish for the Psychic-Type Pokemon as it is put into some kind of glass container and transported into a large transit vehicle, which goes speeding down the pathway as soon as Gardevoir is inside.

"Are you okay?"

Casey turns away from Ash and the others, who are busy checking to see if the woman bound to the tree is okay, and back towards where the other woman was, watching with a glare as she and her Ariados take off on the back of Salamence.

 _We can't let her get away!_

Casey turns and begins to run after the transit vehicle, knowing that it's her best lead to catch up with Salamence's trainer. She can't just let her get away, especially not after what she did! It's just downright wrong!

"Come on! We need to catch up to them!"

Casey sharply turns to her right when she hears Ash's voice, stunned that he's managed to catch up with her. By no means is she the fastest person, but she did take off rather abruptly. Not that Casey's complaining about Ash following after her; it's good to have backup, especially in a situation like this.

They come to a sudden stop when they reach the edge of a steep incline, the transit vehicle already driving down the pathway at the bottom of the incline.

"Now what are we supposed to do?"

"We keep going!" Ash shouts. He begins to rush down the incline, struggling to keep his footing as he goes.

 _Is he crazy?!_

Casey considers stopping her chase right then and there, but then she remembers why she ran after the vehicle in the first place; that's what makes Casey goes running down the incline much like Ash did, landing in a heap as the vehicle comes to a halt not too far from where they are, having just endured a powerful Thunderbolt from Pikachu. It didn't do much damage wise, but it sure caught their attention.

"An impressive Thunderbolt." Casey and Ash whip their heads around as the woman sets back down on the ground, still atop of her Salamance alongside her Ariados, "That's quite a Pikachu you've got there! It'll fetch a good price!"

Casey glares daggers over at the woman, instinctively reaching for one of the Pokeballs clipped to her belt, "Okay, lady! I don't know who you think you are, but we aren't letting you get away with this! Give back Gardevoir right now!"

"No can do."

Her calm response angers Casey further, leading her to toss the Pokeball in her hand out in front of her, "Dratini, take her down!"

Dratini emerges from her Pokeball and stands readily beside Pikachu as the woman throws her Pokeball effortlessly out onto the field, a menacing Drapion appearing from it.

"What's that?!"

"It's a Drapion." Casey clarifies, keeping her eyes trained on the Poison-Type Pokemon before her, "And it looks strong too. We need to be careful."

"Right." Ash nods. His voice is full of determination as he calls Pikachu's first attack, "Use Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu charges towards Drapion, cloaked in its own electrical power, at breakneck speed. Drapion somehow manages to dodge the attack, Pikachu charging right on past it and coming to a stop just to the side of the woman and her Salamance.

"Marvellous! No doubt that you're worth quite a lot!"

Ash, Casey and their Pokemon are all stunned when the woman extends her arm out towards Pikachu, firing out some kind of blast from a gadget attached to her wrist and turning Pikachu to stone, his appearance similar to that of Gardevoirs.

"No! Pikachu!"

 _No way! No, she can't do this! I have to stop her!_

"Dratini, use Draco Meteor!"

Dratini charges up her power before unleashing the attack, the fiery orbs raining down and hitting Salamence, Ariados and Drapion, causing significant damage to Salamence. Casey's not surprised as the attack is super effective.

"Now, Dratini! Use Slam!"

Dratini surges towards Drapion and jumps up into the air with the intention of hitting Drapion; she doesn't get too far, as the woman hits her with the same device that she got Pikachu with, rendering Dratini in a stone like state.

"Dratini!" Casey glares menacingly up at the woman once again, "What did you go and do that for?!"

"Your Dratini sure is powerful. It'll fetch a even higher price than Pikachu."

Ash and Casey both begin to run towards the woman, who turns towards her Ariados and demands it to attack. Ariados fires a String Shot attack in their direction, which Casey manages to jump out of the way of just in time. Ash isn't so lucky, the attack hitting him directly and sending him spiralling back, binding him to a nearby rock similar to how Gardevoirs trainer was bound to that tree.

"Dratini! Pikachu! I'm coming!"

"Drapion, Cross Poison."

The vigorous Poison-Type attack hits Casey directly, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. She feels the poison spread across the body and she cries out in pain, dropping down to her knees as she groans in agony. She's in so much pain that she doesn't even notice the woman fly away on the back of her Salamance again, the transit vehicle now carrying two new Pokemon in Dratini and Pikachu.

"Ash! Casey!"

She feels somebody grab her by the arms, though she's not exactly sure who it is. The pain still hasn't died down just yet. She stumbles as she tries to stand up and clutches at her stomach, but the person who grabbed her arms is quick to catch her before she can hit the ground.

"Hey, take it easy." She recognises the calm yet concerned voice to be Brock, which means that Dawn is likely over with Ash, "What happened to you guys?"

" _She_ took them!" Casey's voice is teeming with anger and hatred as she begins to regain her strength, hissing slightly in pain as she talks, "She took Dratini and Pikachu!"

* * *

"I sure do hope that this plan works."

Casey quickly jumps off of Arcanine's back as they reach their destination, Pokemon Hunter J finishing up catching her next target, which just so happens to be an Absol. After regaining some more of her strength from the effects of Drapion's attack, Casey, the others and Gardevoir's trainer, who Casey has come to learn is called Melodi, tried to chase after the woman who took their Pokemon, but she narrowly escaped aboard some kind of aircraft, similar in design to the transit vehicle they say earlier.

Casey, much like the others, instantly thought that was it, but Officer Jenny arrived along with her Arcanine shortly afterwards, saying that she was trying to apprehend the woman herself, who it turns out is a nefarious Pokemon Hunter called J. She captures Pokemon and sells them on the black market for high prices, something which all of them found absolutely despicable upon first hearing about it.

They came to the conclusion that chasing after J and her men was futile, but perhaps if they could predict where J would strike next, they could catch her off guard and get their Pokémon back. That's where Melodi came in handy, as her Kirla looked into the future and saw a specific destination which, as Casey and the others just discovered, turned out to be the right location.

"We still haven't got them surrounded yet!" Officer Jenny gasps, referring to the fact that her backup squad hasn't arrived on the scene yet. That doesn't seem to faze out though, as he quickly charges down the grassy hill and towards J, "Ash, wait! It's too dangerous!"

Officer Jenny's right. It sure is dangerous, well, to be more precise, J and her Pokemon are dangerous, but that doesn't seem to stop Ash. Because of this fact, Casey doesn't see why this should stop her either. She has to get Dratini back.

"J, give me back Pikachu, now!"

"And Dratini and Gardevoir as well!" Casey rushes down the hill and stands defiantly beside Ash, glaring daggers over at J much like before. She really can't stand this woman.

"Oh, it's you two."

Jenny rushes down alongside her Arcanine, pointing an accusing finger towards J, "Don't move! I'm placing you under arrest!"

"I guess I should commend you for discovering Headquarters, but..." J falls silent for a few moments before speaking again, her voice as calm as ever when she gives her next order, "Salamence, Hyper Beam!"

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

Both moves collide with extreme force, but in the end Salamence's Hyper Beam overpowers Arcanine's Flamethrower. Casey and Ash quickly dive out of the way as the attack breaks through, hitting Arcanine directly and knocking it out cold, leaving a small explosion in its wake.

Casey groans in pain as she lands on the rough ground beside Ash, who is already pushing himself up and out of the dirt. Casey quickly scans the area around them, frantically trying to come up with a plan as J begins to fly away. Ash beats her to it, and it doesn't take long for Casey to figure out what he's thinking. He's eyeing the bottom of J's transit vehicle, which by the looks of it is going to follow after J any moment now.

"Come on!" Ash shouts.

He sure has lost it now!

Casey gulps worriedly before rushing after Ash, who has made a run for the underside of the transit vehicle. The two of them slide underneath it and grab on tight to the metallic framework, breathing sighs of relief when they have a firm grip on the vehicle.

That sigh of relief, however, is soon replaced with a shocked gasp, which is on the brink of becoming a panicked scream, when she sees the two other people hiding out underneath the transit vehicle as well.

It just so happens to Jessie and James, the vexatious members of Team Rocket that Casey has already had the displeasure of meeting.

"What are you two doing here?"

"That Hunter hussy hauled off poor Meowth." James says. His voice is rather despairing, which is a direct contrast to how he usually sounds. Albeit, Casey has only seen him once but, from what she's already seen, the blue-haired crook tends to hold a confident demeanour, well, that is until the plans of him and his comrades fail, which is when his voice sounds fearful disappointed.

As the transit vehicle speeds throughs the hills and after J, soaring up into the air as it traverses over bumps in the road, Casey's thoughts draw away from Team Rocket and towards what's truly important. Getting Dratini and the other Pokemon back.

 _Don't worry, Dratini! We're on our way!_

* * *

"We better split up and have a look."

Casey follows Ash, Jessie and James through the automatic sliding door connecting the hanger of J's airship to the rest of the high-tech mobile facility and listens intently to his plan. Splitting up sure does seem like the best way forward. The more ground they cover, the more likely they are to find their Pokemon.

"Monferno! Let's go!"

"Aipom! I choose you!"

The two Pokemon emerge from their Pokeballs and look at their respective trainers, awaiting to hear further instructions or insight into exactly why they are in such an unfamiliar place. Ash and Casey are quick to catch their Pokemon up to speed.

"Aipom, help us look around. We gotta find Pikachu."

"You too, Monferno. We can't let Dratini down." Casey turns to Ash after addressing her Pokemon, motioning to the long, bleak hallway to her right, "I'll go right whilst you go left, Ash. Team Rocket can take the path directly opposite the hangar door."

"Right, lets go!"

They all take off in their respective directions, Casey and Monferno moving at a steady yet quiet speed. The last thing that they want to do is make it known that they are here. That...well, that would be disastrous. They might as well try to use the element of surprise to their advantage whilst they still have it. They _have_ to get Dratini back.

The two of them check room after room as they frantically try to find their stolen friend, each of them taking a side of the extensive hallway to search, thus checking two rooms at the same time and narrowing down their search. Most of the rooms are thankfully unoccupied but, frustratingly, at the same time most of them just turn out to be storage rooms. Seriously, there's enough storage rooms in this strangely advanced aircraft to store supplies for hundreds of passengers, which only adds to Casey's trepidation of what's to come. They need to find their Pokemon and get out of here, and fast.

"Mon! Monferno!"

Casey pauses hastily when her partner Pokemon calls out, his sudden action making her stomach churn. She whips her head around to face the Playful Pokemon, sending a sharp and concerned stare in his direction, "Shh! Monferno, what is it?"

"Mon! Monferno!"

Monferno is pointing eagerly at a door on his side of the hallway, which just so happens to be open every so slightly. Casey takes this as an indication that Monferno's checked this room, and she takes his eagerness as a sign that he's found something inside.

"Hmm, what did you find, Monferno?"

Casey walks towards the door and pushes it open mutely, still being careful as to not draw attention to herself and Monferno. You never know who could be lurking just around the corner. Casey smiles at what her Pokemon has found, "A surveillance room!"

A multitude of monitors playing live video feed from across the airship sit mounted upon the back wall of the room, a sleek black desk and chair there to accompany them. An interior blueprint of the facility also adorns the wall, likely for reference when studying the monitors, which each have a specific code in the bottom right corner linking to a room code marked on the blueprint.

"This is perfect, Monferno! Thank you!" Casey beams, "Do you mind keeping an eye out whilst I check this stuff out. Let me know if you see anybody coming."

Monferno responds with a nod and a determined cry, turning away from its trainer and moving to stand by the doors edge, keeping its eyes trained on the space outside of the vicinity of the surveillance room which they are currently in. Casey feels reassured at this. She knows that nothing will get past Monferno. Knowing that, she feels comfortable to go and sit down by the monitors and attempt to locate the Pokemon.

Her eyes flicker over the numerous monitors, only spending brief moments looking at each one. There sure is a lot of monitors, and she has a sneaky suspicion that her time for searching is running thin. She has to wrap this up speedily.

"Come on, Dratini." She murmurs, her eyes still scanning the monitors hectically, "Where are you?"

She swiftly stops her search when her eyes land on a monitor showing surveillance footage from what appears to be yet another storage room, but the particular things being stored in there is what catches Casey's eye. It's the Pokemon! All of them. Dratini, Pikachu, Meowth, Gardevoir and Absol. They're all there!

 _That's it!_

Her eyes drift towards the bottom right corner where the room code is located, "SF4-H3."

 _What on Earth does that stand for?_

Casey doesn't have time to ponder on such trivial things. Now that she knows what room the Pokemon are in, she now has to figure out exactly where that room is in relation to where she is now. She does so by looking over at the blueprints on the wall, where the room that she is currently in is conveniently marked upon it through a large red 'X'.

 _X marks the spot, I suppose._

"It looks like we've got to take a right at the end of the hallway and head 5 doors down on the left." Casey turns around and looks towards Monferno, who is still standing alert at the door, "Did you get that, pal?"

"Monferno!"

Casey nods over to her Pokemon confidently; she rises out of the black, leather chair and rushes out of the room, Monferno following in tow. They run stealthily down to the end of the hallway and then make a sharp right, continuing to run until they reach the correct door.

She pauses abruptly outside of the room and glances down at Monferno, who is looking at her with a determined expression on his face, "Let's hope that we've got this right, Monferno."

Monferno responds with a supportive cry, showing that he has faith in his trainer; his response gives her the confidence to push the door open and head inside of the room, finding exactly what she was expecting inside.

"Dratini!"

Casey closes the door before she and Monferno rush over to a metallic table at the side of the room, where the containers of all of the stolen Pokemon, Dratini included, have been placed, all of the Pokemon still in their motionless, stone state.

"Hey, Twerpette!"

"Meowth?" Casey looks over at the Cat Pokemon as he speaks up, surprised to find that the very top of his head has been left unaffected by J's technology; the position that he's in does look rather uncomfortable though. Perhaps he tried to talk his way into J's good books. That's Casey's first guess, at least, "How do I reverse the effects of these capsules?"

"Slide that lever down, and do it quick before my head falls off!"

Casey listens to his instruction and slides down the lever, the stone that constricts Meowth moving down and eventually off of his body as the lever reaches the bottom of its slider, the glass around the container falling away as it does so. As soon as Meowth is free, Casey quickly moves to release the other Pokemon from their restricting containers, smiling brightly at Dratini when she can move around freely.

"Dratini!" Dratini coos happily and jumps into Casey's arms, clearly happy to see her trainer again, "Yeah, I'm glad to see yo-."

Casey pauses when she hears a metallic sound coming from above, instantly darting her eyes towards the source of the sound and taking a defensive stance. She instantly assumes that its some kind of scouter Pokemon lurking around in the vents (she knows that it sounds crazy, but you never know).

"Pika!"

Pikachu jumps down from the table and stands protectively in front of Casey, the electricity at its cheeks crackling as it prepares for a forthcoming attack. Monferno takes on a similar stance, the flame on the back of his tail flaring instinctively as he glares in the direction of the ventilation shaft. Both Pokemon are prepared for a battle, that's for sure.

"Ai-pa!"

"Aipom?" Casey's expression softens as Long Tail Pokemon emerges from the ventilation shaft, instantly jumping down to the ground to say hello to Pikachu, "Well, that's a relief."

"Casey!"

Ash exits the shaft next, Turtwig, Jessie and James following after him. The raven-haired trainer instantly rushes over to his partner Pokemon, hugging him in relief as soon as he reaches them. Jessie and James both rush over to Meowth, the two of them as relieved as Ash to see their friend.

"Good job on finding them, Casey." Ash smiles gratefully.

"It was all Monferno really." Casey says modestly, not to mention truthfully, "He was the one who pointed out the surveillance room which led me here in the first place. I would've run right past it if it wasn't for him."

Ash nods and directs his gratitude towards Monferno, who responds with an enthusiastic cry in response, grateful that he was able to help in some way.

"There you are!"

All of them turn towards the door as various large, muscular men burst into the room, stern expressions plastered on their faces. They do not look happy to see them, to say the least. Casey glares back at them; they're part of the reason why Dratini and the others were taken in the first place, "If you crooks know what's good for you, you'll let us go now!"

"Silence!" The man at the front of the group throws his Pokeball out in front of him, a Golbat appearing in a flash of bright light, "Golbat, Steel Wing, now!"

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu surges towards Golbat, surrounded by thousands of volts of electrical current and makes a direct hit, sending Golbat tumbling down to the ground instantly. Even if the move wasn't super effective, Casey still bets that it would've done a lot of damage all the same thanks to Pikachu's immense strength.

"Golbat, Supersonic!"

The sound of Golbat's Supersonic attack sounds through the room, its ear-splitting noise forcing Casey and the others to cover their ears. She can see that Ash is trying to yell out a command to Pikachu, but he is clearly struggling due to the unbearable noise being emitted through Supersonic. Casey decides that it's her turn to give it a shot.

"Monferno, use Flamethrower!" She manages to yell above the noise of Supersonic.

Monferno obeys her command and fires his intense Flamethrower attack right at Golbat. The scorching hot attack makes a direct hit just like Pikachu's Volt Tackle did and it sends Golbat flying right out of the door and into a electrical control unit just outside, the impact from the heavy Bat Pokemon combined with the force of the attack causing the wall by the control unit to explode!

Everybody screams frightfully as violent, Gale-force-esque winds blow inside the hangar, acting as a powerful vacuum from the inside-out. She and Ash are both quick to the react, making their Pokemon return to their Pokeballs before they can come to any harm (well, excluding Pikachu, but he never goes into his Pokeball anyway).

"Ash!" Casey shouts to her friend above the noise, latching tightly onto one of the many metallic storage units bolted to the wall, "What are we supposed to do?!"

Ash seems to take a brief moment to come up with a plan before wordlessly reaching for one of the Pokeballs in his pocket, throwing it high up into the air, "Staravia! Go and tell Officer Jenny where we are?!"

Staravia bursts out of its Pokeball and instantly executes Ash's order, flying out of the hangar through the hole in the wall at breakneck speed. That makes Casey feel slightly more reassured. Now she knows that somebody's coming to get them. Perhaps they'll be okay after all.

"Good idea, Ash!" Casey calls over to him, "As long as Staravia can get to Jenny, we'll all be fine!"

 **Bang!**

Casey instantly regrets her words when the hangar suddenly plummets, a sickening feeling erupting in her chest with it. It's as if the hangar has been detached from the aircraft! From what she's seen of J so far, she wouldn't put it past the Pokemon Hunter. She's borderline sociopathic!

"Me and my big mouth!"

Everybody erupts into screams once again as the Hangar plummets towards the hard surface at an alarmingly fast rate. It's absolutely terrifying, but what's even more so is how everybody is acting. J's men, well, former men, are simply clutching at the walls as they yell, none of them saying anything else. They're probably still in shock that their leader left them for dead so suddenly. Team Rocket are blubbering amongst themselves, Meowth saying something that angers Jessie and leads to the short-tempered woman striking the Scratch Cat Pokemon harshly. Casey notes that the woman is still as abrasive as ever, even remaining so as she falls to her demise.

Casey turns to look at Ash, somehow hoping that her friend has one last plan to get them out of this horrifying situation, but thankfully she doesn't need Ash to do such a thing, as just mere moments later everybody inside of the hangar is somehow safely on the ground in a clearing.

"Are you three alright?"

Casey looks up from the ground slowly when she hears Brock and Dawn run over; she's almost scared that she's somehow still in the falling hangar. It's crazy, but that's how she feels.

"Yeah. We're fine." Ash says.

"We're alive!" Casey jumps up from the ground and cheers in relief. She probably looks absolutely ridiculous, but she's honestly too relieved to care, "Hah! We're alive! I don't have a clue how, but we are!"

* * *

"I still can't get over J!"

Casey follows her friends as they continue their journey towards Floaroma Town, the events of the day now behind them. All of J's men that were aboard the hangar were arrested by Officer Jenny right after they all landed safely on the ground, which turned out to be thanks to Melodi's Gardevoir's Teleport attack. Even though J got away, Officer Jenny promised that she and her police force would continue to try and apprehend the cruel Pokemon Hunter.

"I can't believe that people like that actually exist!"

Casey nods reluctantly over at Dawn, "I agree with you, Dawn, but sadly they do exist. There's no other way to put it; some people just have no sense of right and wrong."

"I get so mad when I think about all of the Pokemon that she stole just to make a quick buck!"

Casey and the others look over at Ash with concern. He's really taking all of this hard. Brock is quick to reassure his longtime friend by placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. It's a simple gesture, but it seems to calm Ash down, "Yeah, me too. But Officer Jenny will catch her one of these days."

Casey sure hopes that Brock is right. People like J deserve to pay for their crimes, but nobody can make them pay if they can't be caught. As doubtful as she feels, she believes that J will get caught in the act eventually. It's just gonna take some time. But, then again, doesn't everything worth fighting for?


	4. Understanding Strategies

_Casey and the others look over at Ash with concern. He's really taking all of this hard. Brock is quick to reassure his longtime friend by placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. It's a simple gesture, but it seems to calm Ash down, "Yeah, me too. But Officer Jenny will catch her one of these days."_

 _Casey sure hopes that Brock is right. People like J deserve to pay for their crimes, but nobody can make them pay if they can't be caught. As doubtful as she feels, she believes that J will get caught in the act eventually. It's just gonna take some time. But, then again, doesn't everything worth fighting for?_

* * *

It's early morning in the Sinnoh region, the shining forenoon sun breaking through the canopy of the forest trees and through to the dirt path, which Casey and the others just so happen to be walking along. They're still heading towards Floaroma Town for Dawn's next Pokemon Contest, but first they have to pass through a small village not too far ahead.

"Listen to this!" Dawn's excited voice catches Casey's attention, a small, detailed pamphlet in her hands, "This village is holding a festival, and they're going to have an informal Pokemon Contest as well! Don't you think that I should enter it, guys? I mean, Pachirisu hasn't had the chance to be in one yet."

"Sounds good to me."

"I agree with Brock." Casey nods in agreement over at the bluenette, "I say go for it. It'll be great practice for the real thing."

It's similar to a field battle when preparing for a Gym Battle. The more field battles you take part in, the stronger you and your Pokemon will become. Casey still doesn't know overly much about contests, but she figures that it must be much harder for Coordinators to find field opponents than it is for regular trainers. Coordinators kinda need to battle other Coordinators to gain a full understanding of the technique of such battles (although regular battles obviously do provide some experience for Coordinators as well), whereas regular trainers like Casey and Ash can battle all varieties of trainers and always take something away from it.

Regardless, Casey believes that Dawn should jump at the chance to get some practice in for the big contest in Floaroma Town, so why not now more than ever?

"Aipom! Give me back my hat!"

Casey's attention is quickly drawn towards Ash, who is yelling furiously at Aipom. The Long Tail Pokemon is rushing away with its trainers hat on its tail, giggling cheerfully as Ash chases after it.

"I guess some things never change."

Casey looks over at the former Pewter City Gym Leader, confusion falling on her face at his words, "Has this happened before?"

"Oh, yeah." Brock replies causally, "Its just how Aipom shows its affection for Ash."

Casey can't help but think that how Aipom's acting is sure an odd way to show affection, but then again each and every Pokemon has a different personality; from what she's seen from Aipom so far, The Long Tail Pokemon has quite the excitable personality.

"We should probably head after Ash." Brock says. Casey silently agrees with him; their friend has already ran further into the forest and out of sight, frantically chasing his mischievous Pokemon, "Knowing those two, we could end up having some trouble on our hands if we don't catch up to them soon."

Dawn and Casey both agree with Brock and follow him down the bumpy dirt path, chasing after Ash and his runaway Aipom. They catch up to the former of the two shortly after setting off, Casey looking over at Ash worriedly at the absence of his Pokemon, "Where did Aipom go, Ash?"

Ash simply responds with a shrug. Casey takes that as Ash not having a clue where Aipom's gotten off too, which admittedly is not exactly the response that Casey, Dawn and Brock were hoping for. Not all hope is lost, though, as Casey and the others are quick to notice a familiar looking hat as it slowly floats down from mid-air.

"There's my hat!" Ash reaches out for his hat and places it atop his head once again, restoring the item of clothing to its rightful position before shifting back to his fretful state, "But, where's Aipom?"

"Ai-pa!"

Aipom's distressed cry catches their attention, Ash calling out to his Pokemon and running at top speed in the direction of the noise. Casey, Brock and Dawn follow in tow. The four Pokemon trainers soon reach the missing Long Tail Pokemon, all of them gawking in horror when they see what state it's in.

Aipom is atop a thin stone slab, which is balancing haphazardly upon a tall, thin rock spire, but he's not alone. Jessie is on the stone slab as well, clutching onto Aipom desperately as the slab teeters back and forth dangerously, on the brink of toppling over at any moment.

"It's Team Rocket!"

Jessie lets out an awfully high-pitched scream as the stone slab begins to slide down the side of the small rock precipice, Aipom crying out in fear as they go. The slab slides right down the sloped rock and down into the canyon below before, unbelievably, sliding right back up it again, both Aipom and Jessie landing relatively unharmed around about the place where James and Meowth are stood, watching Jessie with perturbed looks on their faces.

Casey and the others rush towards where Team Rocket and Aipom are, the goofy crooks quick to notice to them, "You?" Jessie glances down at Aipom, who is still firmly in her hands, before looking back to Ash and his friends, "So this Aipom is a twerp Aipom?"

"It sure is. But you guys actually saved my Aipom?"

"Yes. You can close your mouth now."

Jessie's sharp response makes Ash abruptly stop gawking at the crooks, clearly shocked at their kind gesture. Team Rocket never helps them out, after all, "Right. Well...thanks, you guys."

"Look, twerp!" Jessie responds sharply, pointing an accusatory finger right at Ash, "If it weren't for me, Aipom might not be here. I hardly think thanks is worth Aipoms life."

"Yeah? But then what do you want?"

Ash sounds confused and Casey doesn't blame him. She has no idea what Jessie's getting at either. She's quick to fill in the gaps for them. She talks about the upcoming practice Pokemon Contest that Dawn mentioned earlier; she wants Ash to let her use Aipom is said Pokemon Contest, which makes Casey do a double take. She'd never expect Jessie to be someone who likes to compete in Pokemon Contests.

Regardless of what she thinks, Ash is clearly dismissive about it all, and is quick to protest Jessie's suggestion, "I can't do that! Aipom doesn't wanna, anyway!"

"Aipom!"

"I hate to rain on your Twerp-Parade, but that sure ain't want Aipom's saying." Meowth says matter-of-factly. It still creeps Casey out that Meowth can talk, but at the same time it's kinda cool, not that she'd admit that to Meowth. That would only boost his ego further than it already is.

"If Aipom wants to complete with moi, then what kind of trainer are you to stand in the way?"

"I hear ya, but the idea of helping you..." Ash's voice trails off as he speaks reluctantly. Casey understands his hesitancy - they aren't exactly the best of friends with Team Rocket.

"Let us not forget who saved this little doll!" Jessie says pointedly, hugging Aipom tightly and cooing excitedly at it. She really finds Aipom adorable, "So enough of this tepid twerp talk, ya got that?"

"Ash, the truth is," Brock says, "If Aipom really wants to do it you should let it."

Admittedly, Brock is right in some respects. Whilst lending a Pokemon to Team Rocket is a downright horrifying thought, Ash technically does owe Jessie for saving Aipom in the first place. And besides, if Team Rocket truly did have cruel intentions, they would request to borrow Pikachu instead of Pokemon, considering that they've been after the Electric Mouse Pokemon for as long as they've known Ash.

"Okay...but only for a little while! Just until the contest battle is over!"

Jessie begins to cheer victoriously as she jumps around with Aipom in her arms. Meowth and James simply stand there and watch their cohort; Casey doesn't know if they're simply clueless, or embarrassed, or both. Casey sometimes wonder how the two of them survive with Jessie around. She sure has a fiery and rather terrifying personality.

"I still don't know about this." Ash mumbles.

Casey draws her attention away from Team Rocket and back to Ash, trying her best to offer support, "I'm sure it'll be fine, Ash. It's just one contest, right? What's the worst that can happen?"

* * *

Casey rushes over to Brock and Dawn, being mindful of the growing crowd around her as she runs. Despite the fact that the village is rather small, a whole lot of people have come out to the festival. Casey suspects that many of them are here to see the contest.

"Guys!" Casey breathes heavily as she stops in front of Dawn and Brock. She takes a couple of seconds to compose herself before speaking again, "I just spoke to Nurse Joy over at the Pokemon Center. Apparently there's a beautiful meadow on the outskirts of the village which is perfect for training in, and since pratically the entire village is here at the festival, I'll get to have the entire meadow to myself to train in!"

"That sounds great, Casey." Brock says with a smile, "Having all of that space gives you the chance to try out some of those cool new strategies I've seen you working on."

"Right. I was going to rush right on over there, but I figured that I should come and check with you guys first." Casey looks over at Dawn, "I'll be back before the contest starts to see you compete, Dawn."

"No need to worry." Dawn replies, "Go and enjoy your training session."

"Thanks, Dawn." Casey smiles gratefully.

Casey looks around briefly, only just now noticing the absence of a certain raven-haired trainer from the group. She looks at Brock inquisitively and speaks up.

"Hey, Brock. Where's Ash?" Casey says, "I was going to ask if he wanted to come to the meadow as well. I'm sure that Monferno would love another battle against Pikachu."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Casey, but I don't think Ash is going anywhere, at least not until he gets Aipom back."

Casey nods in understanding. If Team Rocket were borrowing one of her Pokemon, she wouldn't let them out of her sight either. She knows that it's best not to try and persuade Ash otherwise, so she instead decides to take her leave, waving a warm goodbye to her friends as she goes.

 _We've got some training to do!_

* * *

Casey pauses in the middle of the empty meadow, pausing to inhale the sweet smell of the exquisite flowers, the aroma circulating around the meadow through the slight breeze of the calming area. A plethora of lucious green trees sit not too far from where Casey is; they probably act as a perfect canopy on a hot sunny day on a day such as this. There's also a picturesque lake nearby, its waters glistening underneath the warm sun.

 _This place is perfect!_

"Come on out guys!" Casey throws her Pokeballs high up into the air and her three Pokemon burst out in bright flashes, landing on the ground and looking up at their trainer eagerly, "Are you three ready for some training?"

Her Pokemon cry out in enthusiasm, their excited reactions bringing a wide smile to Caseys face. Her Pokemon sure are fired up.

"That's great, because I want to try out some new strategies I've been working on. You see, I've been really impressed with how fast you all are. It was thanks to your speed that we won our first Gym Badge, so there's no concern in that field."

Her Pokemon cry out in approval and pride, clearly happy to be receiving such praise from their trainer.

"I've been studying some battle footage from previous Sinnoh League Conferences whenever I've had the chance, and by watching that footage I've learnt a lot. This new strategy is going to be quite difficult to grasp, but I know that you guys can do it." Casey gives her Pokemon a supportive and determined smile, "Because you're all super strong!"

Her Pokemon cheer once again, their eagerness to train growing and growing by the second. Casey decides to feed off of their enthusiasm and get started right away, "Okay, Monferno and Elekid, you two are up first!"

Monferno and Elekid both cheer once again whilst Dratinis face falls, a crestfallen expression on her face. Casey notices this and kneels down in front of the Dragon Pokemon as Elekid and Monferno run to stand opposite each other, preparing their own battle positions.

"I'm sorry, Dratini. I promise that you'll have your turn soon. I'm training Monferno and Elekid first since their form of the strategy is practically identically, so it's best to teach them both it at the same time. I have a special strategy planned for you though, so don't worry."

Her response lifts Dratinis mood right up; the Dragon Pokemon jumps up and settles on Caseys shoulder without any form of warning. Even though Dratinis not the heaviest Pokemon, the sudden added weight makes Casey stumble every so slightly.

"Give me a little warning next time, hey, Dratini?" Casey laughs lightheartedly and rises up from the grass, directing her attention towards her two other Pokemon, who are ready to get into training immediately, "Okay, let's try this out! Elekid, I want you to use a Thunderbolt on Monferno, and Monferno I want you to block it with your arms like this!"

Casey shows her Pokemon what she means by making an 'X' shape with her arms, holding them steadily out in front of her. Both Pokemon on the battlefield nod in understanding before turning back to face each other, waiting for their trainer to command them.

"Let's do this! Elekid, use Thunderbolt!"

Elekid obeys her command. An intense surge of lightning rushes towards Monferno at breakneck speed, the Playful Pokemon raising his guard as commanded. The attack collides with great strength, exhibiting just how well Elekid has been trained. Monferno stumbles back as the attack hits him, clearly struggling to cope with its power.

"I need you to concentrate your power to where the attack is hitting you, Monferno! Use that strength as a barrier and brush off the attack!"

"Mon...ferno!"

Casey watches as her Pokemon struggles to hold back the attack, looking as if he's going to break at any moment, "Elekid, hold it!"

Elekid obeys instantly once again and halts the fierce attack. Casey rushes over to Monferno, kneeling down beside her weakened Pokemon and looking at him apologetically, "Sorry, Monferno. I probably should've explained that strategy with more detail before trying it out, huh."

"Mon-ferno!"

Casey smiles once again at her Pokemon's enthusiasm, "You want to try it out again?"

Monferno nods brusquely at her proposal, shaking himself off and moving back into his battle stance, clearly ready for round 2. Casey nods back at him and stands up, moving back to her original position at the side of the battlefield.

"That was great, Elekid!" Casey calls over to the Electric Pokemon on the other side of the battlefield, "Let's try it again! Use Thunderbolt once more!"

The attack speeds towards Monferno for the second time, slamming into the Fire-Type with equal force as before. Monferno seems to cope with the attack much better than the last time around, listening to Caseys instruction and concentrating all of his power to where the Thunderbolt attack is striking.

"You can do it, Monferno!" Casey shouts supportively, "Push your arms outward and dispel the attack!"

Monferno attempts to do just that. He pushes out his arms and expels the electrical current as Elekid halts his attack upon Caseys request. In a real battle, a trainer would likely stop using an attack if it ended up not being effective, so Casey's trying her best to simulate that.

Everything seems to be going well. Monferno manages to push the attack away, clearly trying to aim it back at Elekid to gain the upper hand. However, despite the fact that Monferno has managed to dispel the attack rather well, he doesn't exactly manage to turn it around on Elekid very well. The attack power ends up being directed towards the ground just in front of Monferno, the built up strength of Elekids attack causing a large explosion to occur!

"Monferno, no!"

The Playful Pokemon cries out frightfully as he goes flying up into the air, his destination looking to be the nearby lake! Casey, with Dratini still on her shoulder, races after Monferno, calling out for him desperately as she goes. Elekid follows after her as well, both him and Dratini calling out as they go.

 _No! I have to catch up to Monferno! I can't let Monferno fall in the lake!_

"Monferno, I'm coming!"

Monferno's now above the middle of the lake, likely to plummet down into its waters within a few seconds. There's no way that Casey can get to him now. Monferno's going to fall right into the lake, and there's nothing she can do about it! She's too distressed to even reach for her Pokeball, although she doubts that it even reach Monferno from where she's stood.

"Monferno, no!"

"Garr!"

Just when all hope seems lost, a shadow appears in Casey's line of sight, rushing right into Monferno just before he drops down into the water. At first Casey does a double take. She has no clue what this shadow is upon first glance, but she sure is grateful for it nonetheless.

"Monferno!"

Casey and her other Pokemon rush around the left side of the lake, where Monferno is now thankfully safe and sound. Elekid and Dratini are both quick to rush over to Monferno, the latter of the two practically bolting down from Casey's shoulder to check that the Playful Pokemon is okay.

Casey takes a moment to sigh in relief before turning towards the shadow to show her gratitude, recognising exactly what it is when she sees it up close, "Whoa! A Garchomp!"

 _"Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon. When it folds up its body and spreads its wings, it can fly like a jet plane at the speed of sound."_

"So that's how you saved Monferno, huh?" Casey smiles gratefully at the Mach Pokemon as she pockets her Pokedex, "Well, thanks a lot, Garchomp! That sure was awesome!"

 _But who do you belong to?_

Casey's fairly certain that a random wild Garchomp wouldn't be flying around a meadow on the outskirts of a small village. Perhaps up in a cavern on , but not all the way out here. She comes to the logical conclusion that Garchomp must belong to somebody, but who exactly that is she doesn't know.

"Excellent work, Garchomp."

Casey jumps in surprise when she suddenly hears a voice behind her. It sounds oddly familiar, but she can't place her finger on it; she assumes that whoever they are, they're likely Garchomp's trainer.

With that in mind, Casey turns around to express her gratitude towards Garchomp's trainer, "Hey, thanks so much for..."

Casey's voice trails off when she sees who's stood there, completely awestruck by their presence. Hundreds of questions fill her mind as soon as their eyes meet, but she only manages to splutter out two simple words because she's so dumbfounded, "You...you're Cynthia!"

"That's right." Cynthia replies smoothly, nodding her head over at Garchomp, "I can see that you've already met Garchomp."

Casey tries her best to shake away her awe, but she has to admit that she's finding it rather difficult. She's stood right in front of the Champion, after all! How is this happening? Why is this happening? Why is Cynthia even here? What is she supposed to do? How is she supposed to act? She doesn't have a clue what to do!"

"Mon-ferno!"

Casey's snapped right out of her frantic thoughts when she feels a reeling pain in her gut as she goes flying up into the air, landing with a splash right into the lake that Monferno came dangerously close to falling into himself. She pushes herself up from underneath the water, briefly pausing to wipe some of the lake water away from her face, and looks over at Cynthia, who is clearly taken aback at what's just transpired.

Casey knows exactly how she ended up in the lake. She doesn't even need to question it; she glares sharply over at the guilty Pokemon, "Monferno! Just because you have a strong Mach Punch, it doesn't mean you can keep hitting me with it!"

* * *

"So you're competing in the Sinnoh League, then?"

"Right." Casey nods, "We've already got our first badge, and we're planning on getting our next one over at the Eterna Gym. That's why we've come out here to train."

"That sounds like a smart idea to me."

Casey smiles over at Cynthia, still in shock that she's in the vicinity of such a formidable trainer. After regaining her composure and drying off after her little splash in the lake (which didn't take too long thanks to the heat from the vivid sun in the sky above the meadow), she couldn't resist asking Cynthia some of the questions burning in the back of her mind. Those questions soon led the two of them into a full-blown conversation, which is why the two of them are currently sat on the smooth grass at the edge of the river, their Pokemon sat not too far away from them.

Casey's already asked many of the questions that sprung to mind upon first seeing Cynthia, and the Champion even asked her some questions of her own, most of them to do about her travels as a Pokemon Trainer. She told Cynthia about her previous travels through Kanto and Johto before going on to her newly started Sinnoh travels, referencing her new travelling companions whilst doing so.

In short, Casey's had quite the surprising afternoon, to say the least.

"If you don't mind me asking, Cynthia...what brings you all the way out here?" Casey says, hesitancy still present in her voice, "I mean, not to stereotype or anything, but I can't exactly picture a Champion taking a stroll through a meadow on the outskirts of a small village."

"You'd be surprised to know that's actually why I'm here."

"Really?"

Cynthia nods, "You see, I actually passed through this meadow back when I was on my Pokemon journey around about when I was your age. I found it to be such a peaceful place back then, and I still do to this day. Sometimes, if I have the opportunity, I'll come out to peaceful places like here and just get away for a while."

"And I kinda ruined your peace and quiet." Casey's face turns a deep shade of red in embarrassment. She looks at Cynthia apologetically, "Sorry about that."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I enjoyed watching you train with your Pokemon. You actually remind me of myself when I was much younger."

Casey feels honoured to be compared to such a powerful Pokemon trainer, even when they were a much younger are, but she holds back her excitement as she continues to listen to Cynthia respectfully, "But I'm really sure what you were trying to achieve in your training. Your strategy looked interesting, but what was its purpose?"

Casey takes this time to explain everything that she told her Pokemon before: all of the footage that she's been studying, the plan for her new battle strategy. Cynthia sits there and listens with interest, a thoughtful expression clear on her face as she does. This thoughtful expression remains on Cynthia's face even after Casey finishes her explanation, and the young trainer soon grows worried about the Champion when she simply sits there mutely.

"Uh...Cynthia?"

The next few moments are silent, Casey waiting anxiously for the Champion to say something. She has to admit, the way that Cynthia is acting is kinda freaking Casey out, but it's not like she's going to question it. She respects Cynthia too much to do that.

"Can I ask for your help with something, Casey?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I'd like to have a battle with your Monferno."

Casey's caught off guard by Cynthia's request. Did the Champion just request a battle with her? It seems completely unorthodox to her. Champions usually only accept challenges, and even those battles are usually from members of the Elite Four and perhaps the occasional field challenge. From what Casey's seen, Champions rarely request battles. This truly is an opportunity that she can't pass up on.

"That sounds great. If Monferno's up for it, of course." Casey turns around and calls over to her Pokemon, who are still playing around Garchomp, who is sat there calmly as the smaller Pokemon enjoy themselves, "You hear that, Monferno? Are you ready to go?"

Monferno responds enthusiastically, jumping up and down on the spot and punching his fists in the air. Garchomp has a much calmer response to Cynthia's request to battle, but Casey just figures that's how the Mach Pokemon operates. Pokemon all have different personalities just like people, after all.

Cynthia points out the space that they are to battle within, which puts them a considerable distance away from the lake. That's smart thinking on Cynthia's part. They last thing they want is a mishap like what happened before. Casey moves to stand behind Monferno whilst Cynthia does the same for Garchomp, both Pokemon poised and ready to battle. Casey reaches for Dratini and Elekid's Pokeballs on her belt, figuring that they may as well return since they aren't battling.

"Dratini and Elekid, return!

Both Pokemon return to their Pokeballs in the form of red light; she places the Pokeballs back on her belt once they're both safely inside. Casey turns back to the battlefield herself and looks over at Cynthia with a steeled expression on her face, the Champion looking back at her stoically. She sure does have a tough resolve, to say the least.

"You may have the first move, Casey."

"Right." Casey takes Cynthia up on her offer and calls her first attack with gusto, "Monferno, lets start this out with Flamethrower!"

Monferno tenses as he stores up his fiery power before unleashing it right at Garchomp. The blistering hot ray of fire speeds towards the Mach Pokemon at top speed, looking as if it's going to land a direct hit; a confident smirk begins to grow on Casey's face as Monferno's powerful attack approaches Garchomp. It turns out, though, that she became far too confident too early, as just before the move makes contact Garchomp lifts up its fins, completely blocking the attack and retaining no damage whatsoever.

Garchomp yells victoriously as it thrusts its fins away from its face, some remnants of the Flamethrower appearing before quickly fizzling away like the rest of the attack.

 _That's exactly what I was trying to get Monferno to do! But what about the way Garchomp did it made it work?_

"You haven't give up just yet, have you, Casey?" Cynthia's voice is the direct opposite of mocking, but it still frustrates Casey slightly. She's not giving up just yet.

"No way! Now, Monferno, use Dig!"

"Garchomp, up!"

Casey groans as the Mach Pokemon flies up high into the air, Monferno simultaneously digging deep underneath the ground. Monferno can jump up high, but not as high up as Garchomp is. Cynthia's effectively made Monferno's Dig attack useless.

"Monferno, jump up and back away from Garchomp."

The ground cracks as Monferno jumps up from beneath it within seconds, obeying Casey's command and retreating back to their side of the battlefield. Garchomp lowers itself back down to the ground without so much as a order from its trainer; it almost seems as if Garchomp knows what to do before Cynthia can even order it to do so. It's quite astonishing to witness.

"I'm impressed, Casey. Monferno sure does know some powerful moves." Cynthia says, still maintaining her relaxed posture despite how intense the battle has been so far, "But there's more to a battle than just using powerful moves. Strategy makes up a large portion of each and every battle."

"Oh, I know that!"

Cynthia smiles, "Good. Then I expect that you also know that the best way to devise or perfect a strategy is through watching other trainers who have grasped what you're trying to master. It is important to identify what parts of a strategy you and your Pokemon are misunderstanding in order to become stronger. In order to become strong, you must be willing to learn from your mistakes."

 _Watching other trainers who have grasped what you're trying to master? Learn from my mistakes?_

Casey takes a moment to ponder on Cynthia's words, almost cheering when the lightbulb goes off in her head. She understands exactly what Cynthia's trying to say.

"Okay, Monferno! Lets use Flamethrower again, and give it all you've got!"

Monferno unleashes his mighty Flamethrower attack once again and Garchomp responds in the same way as before, using its fins to block the fiery attack with ease. This time around Casey pays close attention to Garchomp as Monferno continues to fire his attack at the Mach Pokemon, trying to determine exactly what allows Garchomp to pull of the tactic.

"Look at Garchomp's stance!" Casey's eyes flicker over to Cynthia as the Champion shouts over to her, Monferno still firing the attack at Garchomp with all of his might, "Study how Garchomp steadies itself! Think about where the power of the attack is going!"

Casey carefully considers Cynthia's words as she looks back to Garchomp, listening to her advice and deciding to study the Pokemon's whole body instead of just its fins. In doing this she notices the positions of its legs. They're separated, the right (presumably the stronger of the two) slightly further back than the left. Both feet are also rooted tightly to the ground, the claws on said feet buried into the grass like an anchor of a ship is to a sea bed.

 _That's how it works!_

"Monferno, stop!"

The Playful Pokemon stops the attack instantaneously and stands there breathlessly, his chest heaving heavily as he attempts to catch his breath. He really gave it his all.

"Garchomp, return."

The Mach Pokemon returns to its Pokeball, Cynthia thanking it for its assistance on the battlefield. She crosses the field until she reaches Monferno, who looks up at the Champion in confusion as she abruptly stops in front of him. Casey watches with innate curiosity as Cynthia kneels down in front of Monferno, a placid expression on her face.

 _What is she doing?_

A smile breaks out on Cynthia's face suddenly. She brings her left hand up to Monferno's head and pats it lightly, the Playful Pokemon leaning into her touch and smiling brightly back at her. Casey smiles at the heartwarming exchange and walks across the battlefield, bowing her head respectfully to Cynthia when she reaches her.

"Thank you for our battle, Cynthia. Monferno and I both learned a lot."

"That's what I was hoping to hear." Cynthia smiles, "I trust that you'll keep working on that strategy of yours."

"Right, and based off of all I've learnt from watching Garchomp battle, I'm sure that we'll have it down pat in no time!"

Cynthia nods, reassuring Casey that she fully believes that she and her Pokemon can master the strategy, which only further inspires Casey to keep working at it. She's not about to give up on the chance to become stronger. She wouldn't even consider it.

 _Grrr!_

Casey's surprised when she hears a low grumbling noise coming from Cynthia's stomach. The Champion flushes slightly red in embarrassment, but remains as calm and collected as ever and smiles apologetically over at Casey, holding a hand over her growling abdomen.

"Sorry about that!" She laughs lightly, "I suppose that all of that battling works up quite the appetite!"

Casey laughs back as her own stomach growls in hunger, a red tint coming to her own cheeks at the sound; she's quick to laugh it off coolly, "I agree. I could really go for some lunch right about now."

"Oh, I expect that it's past lunch time by now."

Casey totally forgot about eating lunch. Brock made a rather large breakfast earlier that morning, so her hunger's been satisfied for most of the day, but like Cynthia said: battling sure can work up quite the appetite. Still, she feels as if not too much time could've passed since she left Dawn and Brock at the festival to come out to the meadow and train, but she feels as if it's best to check anyway.

She glances down at her Poketch on her wrist and flips through the various applications to the clock application, her eyes going wide when she sees what the time is.

"2:37PM!?"

 _No! No! No! This is not good!_

Back in the village, Casey remembers seeing the signs for the festivals, which explicitly listed the Pokemon Contest to be starting at 12:30PM. She promised Dawn that she'd be back in time to watch her compete! Even if it is just a practice contest, Casey should still be there to support her friend.

"What's wrong?"

Casey looks back to Cynthia, panic spread across her entire face, "I'm so late for something, Cynthia! Something really important! I'm sorry but I need to go right now!"

"Of course, go o-."

"Thanks!" Casey turns around and sprints back in the direction of the town at breakneck speed, calling back to Cynthia as she runs, "It was great meeting you, Cynthia! Thanks for everything!"

Cynthia smiles fondly as she watches the young trainer from Pastoria City race off, not even remotely mad that she rushed off before she even finished her sentence. She can't bring herself to be mad as she actually likes Casey, for both her fiery determination and one other thing. It's something that Cynthia believes everybody has, but very few people grow from and fully utilise.

That thing is potential, and she sees a great amount of it in Casey. She hopes that she gets the chance to meet her again. She wants to see that potential shine through once again.

* * *

"I'm here! Don't worry, guys! I made it!"

Casey stumbles into the town square, the location that the Pokemon Contest was advertised to be held at. She hopes that she's on time to see at least the final few minutes of the contest. At least then she can say that she was there to support Dawn for some of the contest.

 _Where is everybody?_

Casey pauses abruptly when she finds that the square is completely deserted, the only sign that a contest had been held there being a few small banners that nobody's bothered to take down just yet hanging loosely on a few posts across the square, the weak paper blowing slightly in the wind.

"Casey!"

Casey turns around as her friends approach, looks of relief evident on their faces. Casey smiles back at them, but she can't help but feel a pang of guilt hit her when she makes eye contact with Dawn, who surprisingly looks glad to see her.

"There you are!" Ash says, "We've been searching all over for ya!"

"Pikachu-chu!"

"Sorry about that, guys. I got caught up in training." She says apologetically, directing her apology mainly towards Dawn, "I'm sorry that I missed your contest, Dawn. I know I said I would be there to watch it, but I got caught up."

Casey expects Dawn to snap back at her, to get mad and not accept Casey's poor excuse, but she ends up doing the direct opposite. She nods back in understanding, using her signature catchphrase with a smile, "No need to worry! It was only a practice contest, and we didn't win it anyway."

"But you and Pachirisu did really well, especially considering that it was Pachirisu's first contest." Brock says supportively.

"Well, I promise that I'll be there to see the next one." Casey smiles warmly over at her friends, "Shall we continue heading for Floaroma Town?"

Her friends agree with her suggestion and the four of them begin to make their way out of the empty square, all of them laughing and smiling together as they go. Brock turns to Casey, the Pokemon Breeder asking her about her training session with interest, "So, Casey. Did you get the chance to try out some of your new strategies."

"Yeah, something like that, Brock." Casey smiles knowingly, "Something like that."


	5. Meeting Old Pals

**So I'm not overly proud of this chapter, and I must admit that it's basically just filler. I only wrote it out so I don't have to do tons of overcomplicated explanatory parts in the story later on that wouldn't be very enjoyable to read. You guys could honestly just skip this chapter and still be up to date with the story, but I have to write this chapter out so the continuity of the story makes sense.**

 **I just wanted to let you all know that. I promise that the plot will become more** **complex and original in later chapters. It just might take a few chapters to build up to that point. Right now, all I'm really doing is establishing basic storylines ready for the more** **complex stuff later on. I promise, it will get better.**

* * *

 _"Well, I promise that I'll be there to see the next one." Casey smiles warmly over at her friends, "Shall we continue heading for Floaroma Town?"_

 _Her friends agree with her suggestion and the four of them begin to make their way out of the empty square, all of them laughing and smiling together as they go. Brock turns to Casey, the Pokemon Breeder asking her about her training session with interest, "So, Casey. Did you get the chance to try out some of your new strategies."_

 _"Yeah, something like that, Brock." Casey smiles knowingly, "Something like that."_

* * *

"How's the training going, Dawn?"

Casey walks out of the back door of the Pokemon Center and onto the training field out back, where Dawn is currently going through some special training with Pachirisu. She's been working on Pachirisu's Electric-Type attacks all morning in preparation for her upcoming contest. Brock's been watching them train whilst Ash and Pikachu have been giving them a hand.

Casey was doing some of her own special training with her Pokemon earlier that morning. She's been working constantly to perfect that strategy that she tried out back at the meadow with Cynthia and thanks to what she saw from Garchomp, her Pokemon aren't far off from utilising the tactic with ease. That's why she was inside the Pokemon Center just now. Nurse Joy just finished up tending to her Pokemon. None of them were seriously injured or anything; Casey just wanted Nurse Joy to give them a quick check-up to make sure that they're one hundred percent okay, which they thankfully are.

"I said no!" Dawn shouts down at Electric Squirrel Pokemon, seemingly frustrated by something that her Pokemon has done. Casey's not exactly sure what, though.

"Chi-pa!"

Pachirisu squeals as it unleashes a power Discharge attack, shocking Casey and the others with electrifying bolts of...well, electricity. The four of them scream as the volts surge throughout their body; the four of them land in a heap on the ground when Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on Pachirisu, stunning the fellow Electric-Type and stopping its attack instantaneously.

"Dawn, do me a favour and never say no to Pachirisu again." Casey groans weakly, moving her hands up to her head to smooth down her electrically frazzled hair, "Although I do have to admit that Pachirisu's getting really strong. Its attack really set our hair on edge."

"It did!" Dawn's hands rush up to her hair, frantically scrambling around in an attempt to flatten her blue locks down, "Oh no! Not my hair again!"

"Hey, De-Dee!"

"De-Dee!"

"De-Dee?"

Dawn gasps in recognition whilst Ash, Casey and Brock recite the odd pet name in confusion, all four of the looking around to find out where the name came from. Dawn jumps up from the ground with a panicked expression on her face, the others simply staring at her with bemusement, "Only one guy knows that name!"

"That's right! Good to see ya, kid!"

A boy with red hair walks out onto the training field, a confident smirk plastered on his face. He's dressed in a green top, grey pants and sneakers and he has a certain look in his eyes that Casey can't exactly pinpoint. It's a mixture of excitement, cockiness and familiarity.

"Kenny! It is you!"

The boy, no, Kenny responds happily to Dawn's recognition, though he still finds the chance to mock Dawn for her abstract hair-do. Dawn is quick to snipe back at him as she manages to flatten down her hair, Ash, Brock and Casey simply watching their playful exchange with amusement and confusion. They still don't know exactly who this guy is.

Pikachu jumps down from Ash's shoulder and rushes over to investigate. Kenny notices the Electric Mouse Pokemon as it moves to stand beside Dawn and the smirk on his face grows, "What do ya know? De-de's got herself a Pikachu! De-Dee's all grown up."

"Kenny, stop! And you stop calling me De-de, too! Also, this is not my Pikachu..." Dawn turns around and points an angry finger right at Ash. This Kenny guy is really winding her up, "It's his!"

Ash, knowing that the last thing he should do is show any form of protest towards Dawn whenever she's as angry as she is right now, steps forward and politely introduces himself and Pikachu, who moves away from Dawn and jumps back up onto his trainers shoulder. Brock follows suit, introducing himself just as politely as Ash did before him.

Casey takes this as her cue, "And I'm Casey. It's nice to meet you, Kenny."

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you, too." Kenny replies, though his voice almost seems distant. It's as if he's preoccupied by something else, though Casey's not exactlt sure what that is.

"You see, we've all been travelling together for quite a while now."

"What? With them?" Kenny is completely taken aback at this. By the look on his face, he almost seems hurt by it. That confuses Casey, but then again, from what she's seen so far, Kenny just confuses her entirely.

* * *

"Kenny left from Twinleaf Town to start on his journey before I did. We've known each other since nursery school and we used to play together a lot."

The five youngsters are sat at one of the wooden table sets outside of the Pokemon Center and are getting to know each other a bit more. Dawn was quick to explain to her newer friends about her past with Kenny, specifically about how close they were when they were little kids. It makes Casey think about her childhood friends from back home. Sometimes she wonders what they're up to around about now.

"I can't seem to remember your first Pokemon though." Dawn says, furrowing her grow as she tries to come up with the answer.

Kenny saves her the trouble and stands up from his chair, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a single Pokeball. He throws the Pokeball in question up into the air enthusiastically, his partner Pokemon emerging in a flash of white light.

"Prin-plup!"

Dawn gasps, "Wow, a Prinplup!"

Casey recognises the Pokemon. It's the middle evolution of the Piplup line, with Empoleon being the final of the three in the evolution line. She actually ran into a trainer just before she arrived in Oreburgh City that had a Prinplup and challenged him to battle. She won with ease thanks to Elekid's Electric-Type attacks.

"Pip-lup!"

Casey and the others watch fondly as Piplup jumps down from its position in Dawn's arms and over to Prinplup, clearly eager to greet it. Prinplup, however, has other plans. The larger Penguin Pokemon hits the smaller with its flipper, knocking Piplup to the ground and away from it effortlessly.

"Hey, what was that for?!"

"Sorry about that." Kenny looks at Dawn apologetically, "Sometimes Prinplup gets a little freaked out if anybody gets in its space. I'm the only one Prinplup doesn't have a problem with."

Casey smirks in amusement, "Well it sounds to me like you've got a prideful Pokemon on your hands, Kenny."

"That's one way of putting it." Ash laughs over at Piplup and Prinplup, who are both trying to appear stronger and larger than the other. Prinplup's clearly the winner, "Wow! They're acting just like rivals!"

"Oh! Why not just get along?"

"Well, they're both Penguin Pokemon, remember? And tempers at times can get pretty high. Prinplup in particular aren't thrilled being with others." Brock explains, showing off his extensive Pokemon Breeder knowledge.

Kenny decides to change the subject ever so slightly, drawing his attention back towards Dawn as he speaks, "I saw you using Piplup over at the Jubilife Contest. Were you copying me?"

"I wouldn't copy you ever! Piplup and I were made for each other! Isn't that right, sweetie?" Dawn coos over to Piplup, who turns to face her and cries out affectionally before turning back to Prinplup, still trying to appear more dominant than the larger Penguin Pokemon. Dawn looks back to Kenny, speaking to him in a much calmer and inquisitive tone than before, "You were at the Jubilife Contest? Were you competing, or just watching?"

"Uh, excuse me! My match was on TV, so why weren't you watching?"

Dawn laughs awkwardly, "I guess I was busy! Wow, I can't see you as a Coordinator!"

"Well, unlike you, I've already made it to the finals!"

"That's pretty cool, Kenny." Casey says, "But what happened? I'm assuming that you only made it into the finals and didn't win, based on how your describing it."

"That's right. It was at the contest right before Jubilife City and I thought O had my first ribbon. But then I came up against an opponent so powerful, I didn't have a chance! She had a Glameow and her name was Zoey." Kenny explains. He sits back down opposite Dawn with a sigh, "Zoey beat you as well, remember?"

 _Who's Zoey?_

Dawn nods in response to Kenny's question, albeit with reluctance, "At the Jubilife Contest, Zoey told me that she had just won one ribbon, so she must've won that one off of you."

"I think Zoey was really strong!" Ash chimes in.

"Who exactly is Zoey?" Casey looks amongst her friends with confusion set across her face. She hates being out of the loop in a conversation, and right now it's kinda hard to remain in the loop when she has no idea who it is who they're talking about, "I assume that she's a Coordinator."

"That's right, and a really strong one at that." Brock clarifies, "She had good combinations to spare back in Jubilife City."

Casey nods. Based solely on how highly the others are talking about this Zoey girl, Casey wages a bet that she's probably Dawn's most formidable rival in the contest scene. Casey would love to meet her someday and challenge her to a battle.

"Are you competing here?" Kenny asks, turning away from Dawn and looking over to Ash.

"No, not this time. See Ash and Casey are both aiming to beat the Sinnoh League, and Brock's a Pokemon Breeder."

Confusion crosses Kenny's face at Dawn's response. He seems convinced that Ash was going to compete in the contest, "But, you were in Jubilife, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, I had some fun with contests, but no doubt it's Gym Battles for me!"

Kenny nods in understanding, now turning to direct his attention towards Casey, "What about you, Casey? Are you going to compete?"

"Who, me?"

Casey has to think twice about Kenny's question. She knows some information about Pokemon Contests, but she's never really considered competing in them herself. She's never really asked her Pokemon about it either. Perhaps they would enjoy it, "Maybe I will, Kenny. I mean, it'll likely create some great memories and give my Pokemon tons of insight on different battling styles, so maybe."

"Speaking of memories," A devious smirk begins to form on Kenny's face, "I bet that your Dawn stories don't hold a candle to mine. I've got tons of 'em."

"Like what?"

"Kenny, do you have to?"

Dawn's clearly reluctant for Kenny to say anything, but he doesn't let that deter him, "One time, Dawn's Mom made her get this hair cut that she couldn't stand, so Dawn tried to cut it herself. You can't believe how it turned out! She looked just like a Chimchar!"

"A Chimchar?"

Casey tries her best to stifle a laugh but she can't help but burst out laughing when she pictures down having a hair cut just like a Chimchar. Ash and Brock both seem to feel the same way, and soon the three youngsters are laughing uncontrollably at Kenny's many hilarious stories about their bluenette friends, who is less than pleased about their reactions.

"I have had it!" Dawn screams over at Kenny, "If you think I'm the way I was back then, then you've got another thing coming! I'll show you a real Pokemon battle!"

Kenny shakes his head and turns towards Ash and Pikachu, "What I want is a battle against that Pikachu."

"What? With me?"

Kenny explains that he wants to make his Prinplup stronger and that he believes that a battle with Pikachu will help him do just that. Casey understands where he's coming from, but at the same time she doubts his judgement. Even though type advantages aren't everything in a battle, they do play a large role in them, and Prinplup's Water-Type attacks won't put a dent in Pikachu.

"You may have started your journey earlier than me, but man, what a baby!" Dawn whines protestingly.

"Come on, Dawn! He challenged me and I'm doing it!"

"Ash is right, Dawn." Casey says, doing her best to try and calm down the bluenette's rage, "Besides, you and Kenny will get to go up against each other tomorrow, so no need to worry, right?"

Dawn still seems reluctant, but Casey's words still manage to get through to her, albeit just barely, "Alright, fine!" She turns to glare sharply over at Kenny, "But you can bet that I'll be the one battling against you tomorrow and coming out on top!"

"Whatever you say, De-Dee!"

* * *

"Let's keep it simple: a one on one battle!"

Casey, Brock and Dawn watch from the sidelines as Ash and Kenny prepare to battle, their respective Pokemon stood in front of them as prepared as their trainers. Casey's actually interested to see how this plays out, especially since Kenny requested to battle Pikachu, who his Pokemon is at a direct disadvantage too. Casey wonders what Kenny has up his sleeve. He sure seems determined to win.

 _Grrr!_

Casey's face flushes a deep shade of red as she brings a hand over to her grumbling stomach, looking over at her friends apologetically and trying to laugh it off, "Sorry, guys. I skipped breakfast this morning."

"No problem, Casey." Brock smiles, "If you're hungry, I left my bag just inside the Pokemon Center. You're welcome to grab some food out of there if you want. I'll make some lunch in a little while."

Casey likes the sound of that. She thanks Brock for his kind gesture and gets up from the bench, promising to be back outside within a few moments to witness the battle. She walks through the glass door leading into the back of the Pokemon Center, which thankfully isn't overly crowded. This makes it easy for her to find Brock's bag, which is over in the corner on a small leather seat. She crosses the room and opens up the bag, happy to find that a small bag of fruit is inside.

 _That's sure to do the trick!_

"Garchomp, battle dance!"

"Hippowdon, let's go!"

Casey's ears perk up at the sound of what she assumes is a Pokemon battle; she knows that it's not Ash and Kenny. She turns around and notices a wide, flat-screen TV on the other side of the room, a battle between none other than Cynthia and Bertha of the Elite Four playing on it!

Casey rushes across the room, her bag of fruit completely forgotten, and over to the TV, watching the battle in awe as it plays out. She briefly glances over at Nurse Joy, who is watching the match herself from behind her administrative desk, "Nurse Joy, is this battle live right now?"

"No. They're just re-airing a previous battle since Lucian is set to battle Cynthia soon."

 _Lucian._

Casey recognises that name. Lucian is another member of the Sinnoh Elite Four, and he's a trainer who specialises in Psychic-Type Pokemon. He sure is strong, but Casey's not sure if he'll be able to defeat Cynthia. Her Garchomp's never been defeated, after all.

"Hippowdon, use Iron Head!"

A bright aura surrounds Hippowdon as it charges at a surprisingly quick speed, especially considering its enormous size, towards Garchomp. The Mach Pokemon uses its defensive tactic and blocks its body with its fins as Hippowdon collides with it headfirst, Garchomp stopping it dead in its tracks with ease.

Hippowdon's aura diminishes and it looks up at Garchomp as Cynthia calls her next attack, "Garchomp, use Brick Break."

Garchomp's fin glows white and strikes down on Hippowdon's head from above, sending the Heavyweight Pokemon spiralling backwards. This renders Hippowdon unable to battle, giving the victory to Cynthia and Garchomp.

"Yet another display of Garchomp's intense power! Can anybody beat Cynthia and her Pokemon?" The program switches from the video feed of the match over to a TV announcer sat in a television studio. If Casey were to guess, she'd say that this is likely being broadcast from Jubilife City, "That soon may become a possibility with the upcoming battle between Cynthia and Lucian! We'll be sure to keep you posted and bring you the full coverage of the monumental event as it happens! Until next time, Sinnoh!"

"Cynthia sure is a powerful Champion." Nurse Joy says as the TV feed switches to a programme about Poffin Baking, thus loosing Casey's attention almost instantly. She thinks that Poffins are cool and all, but nothing compares to battling.

"Yeah, she's strong, all right."

 _But we're going to become stronger, and one day we'll challenge Cynthia and win!_

Casey remembers why she came inside in the first place and heads back over to the other side of the room, grabbing the bag of fruit before making her way back outside to watch Kenny and Ash battle. Surely she couldn't have missed too much of their battle.

"Stop it!"

Casey hears Dawn's panicked voice from over on the other side of the training field. She rushes over to where they are, her bag of fruit completely forgotten once again, to find that her friends are in a dire situation, "Whoa! What's going on?!"

Kenny, Ash, Dawn and Brock are glaring over at none other than Meowth and James of Team Rocket. The two crooks have trapped Kenny's Prinplup in the grip of Jessie's Seviper, the poisonous tip of its tail pointing dangerously close to Prinplup's face.

"Now don't move!"

"It's time for us to be sliding on outta here!"

Meowth and James begin to back away from them with their Pokemon, Seviper dragging Prinplup along with them. The others simply stand there and do nothing, which drives Casey absolutely insane. They can't just sit here, "We've got to go after them!"

"We can't!" Kenny protests, "They'll hurt Prinplup!"

"So, what?! We do nothing?!"

"I think it's time for you twerps to blast off for a change!"

Casey turns away from Kenny and backs towards James and Meowth as the latter of the two speaks up again. Before any of them can react, James orders Cacnea, Carnivine and Dustox to attack. Casey instinctively reaches for the Pokeballs on her belt, planning to send one of her Pokemon out to combat the onslaught of attacks, but she's quick to stop when Piplup jumps up in front of the attacks, much to Dawn's dismay.

"Piplup, no!"

Piplup seemingly ignores Dawn, although for a good reason. Piplup's body suddenly begins to glow and it raises it's fins and beak up towards the sky. A ginormous water cyclone forms on the beak of the small Penguin Pokemon, Dawn quick to ask what exactly the attack is, which is something that Casey wants to know as well. It's so strong that it stops Team Rocket's attacks easily, after all.

"It's Whirlpool!" Kenny gasps, "It traps your opponent in a whirlpool and causes them damage over and over!"

"That's just what we need!" Dawn points a finger right towards Team Rocket with gusto, "Alright, Piplup! Use Whirlpool!"

Piplup obeys Dawn's command and launches its powerful new move right towards Team Rocket, the attack making a direct and forceful hit. The crooks all yell as the vicious whirlpool engulfs them whilst, at the same time, Prinplup begins to glow brightly, similarly to how Piplup does when it's using Bide.

"What's happening to Prinplup now?"

Prinplup suddenly bursts out of the Whirlpool and lands in front of them, completely re-energised from Team Rocket's attack. Kenny smiles in relief whilst the others look at Prinplup with curiosity, Ash questioning how Prinplup's completely fine now.

"It must be that the intense energy from Piplup's Whirlpool is adding to Prinplup's power!"

"That's awesome, Prinplup!" Casey smiles down at the Penguin Pokemon, "You're really strong, huh?"

Prinplup stands proudly before Casey, clearly enjoying all the compliments that it's receiving. Prinplup's pride really is one of it's key attributes.

"Oh no, you don't!" Casey looks back over to Dawn as she shouts over at Team Rocket, who were trying to make a sneaky getaway when their attention was drawn to Prinplup, "You're not getting off that easy!"

"That's an understatement!"

Piplup and Prinplup both move to stand in front of their respective trainer, determination set in their eyes. Dawn and Kenny both look just as determined; the two Coordinators call out their command to their Pokemon simultaneously, "Use Bubblebeam!"

The Penguin Pokemon both use Bubblebeam on Team Rocket, leading to a large explosion and the notorious crooks blasting off into the sky, as per usual. Once Team Rocket are out sight, everybody is quick to congratulate Prinplup and Piplup, more so the latter for learning a brand new move in Whirlpool. Even though Whirlpool isn't the strongest move power-wise, Casey suspects that it'll be great for adapting into contest battles, which is exactly what Dawn needs for tomorrow and later contests.

In other words, Casey now feels that Dawn can win tomorrows contest without a shadow of doubt; she, Ash and Brock will be right there in the crowd, cheering their friend on the whole way through.


	6. Travelling Through Eterna Forest

_The Penguin Pokemon both use Bubblebeam on Team Rocket, leading to a large explosion and the notorious crooks blasting off into the sky, as per usual. Once Team Rocket are out sight, everybody is quick to congratulate Prinplup and Piplup, more so the latter for learning a brand new move in Whirlpool. Even though Whirlpool isn't the strongest move power-wise, Casey suspects that it'll be great for adapting into contest battles, which is exactly what Dawn needs for tomorrow and later contests._

 _In other words, Casey now feels that Dawn can win tomorrows contest without a shadow of doubt; she, Ash and Brock will be right there in the crowd, cheering their friend on the whole way through._

* * *

"Elekid, use Quick Attack!"

A bright trail of light follows the Electric Pokemon as he charges towards Monferno. The Playful Pokemon holds his defensive stance that Casey's been working on, which blocks the attack with ease. Her Pokemon have really got the technique down pat now, and it's so rewarding to witness.

Elekid's feet drag along the grass as Monferno repels him back to his starting position in front of Casey, who is already ready to give her next command, "Now use Hammer Arm!"

Elekid surges forward once again as his forearm glows brightly, signifying that he's ready to unleash the powerful Fighting-Type attack. His forearm collides with Monferno's arms, which are still in their defensive position in front of his body, and the force of the attack even sends Monferno tumbling back slightly, though the Playful Pokemon still manages to stay on his feet.

"That was great, you too!" Casey crosses the field and walks over to her Pokemon, kneeling down in front of them with a smile, "Keep this up and we'll win our second Gym Badge for sure!"

Both Pokemon cry out enthusiastically, showing their eagerness to get to Eterna City and challenge the Gym there. Casey smiles at her Pokemon and holds up their Pokeballs, "Thanks again, you too. Now return."

Casey doesn't know too much about the Gym in Eterna City other than the fact that the Gym Leader there specialises in Grass-Type Pokemon (although she really should know more), but she also knows that she might as well get in as much training with her Pokemon before her battle as possible. Dratini already had her training session earlier in the morning, where Casey focused on making her Draco Meteor attack even more powerful than it already is. The Dragon Pokemon's progress is rather impressive.

Following Dawn's successful triumph in the Floaroma Contest, the group determined that there next destination would be Eterna City for Ash and Casey's Gym Battles. However, in order to get to Eterna City, first the group have to pass through Eterna Forest, which just so happens to be where they are right now.

"Elekid sure is getting really strong." Ash says, walking up behind her with Turtwig and Pikachu, who he's been training with all morning himself, "That Hammer Arm attack is super powerful!"

"Thanks, Ash!" Casey smiles, "I was watching you train with Turtwig earlier on, and I've gotta admit that Turtwig's Razor Leaf is looking awesome! At this rate, we'll both have our second Gym Badges in no time!"

"Hey, you two!" Dawn rushes up to the two of them, Piplup sat up on top of her hat as per usual, "Brock says that lunch is ready. He's made stew with toasted bread."

That excites Casey. Brock's stew has quickly become her new favourite food, and she has been rather hungry for a little while now, "Let's go then! I'm starving!"

Casey rushes back to Brock at breakneck speed, Dawn and Ash running as fast as they can to try and keep up with her. They soon reach the Pokemon Breeder, who is sat at the table in waiting for them to arrive. He smiles over at them when they reach the table, "So, who's hungry?"

Casey can't sit down fast enough, and neither can Ash. The two of them are both eager to dig into Brock's freshly made stew. Both of them grab a slice of bread and dip them into their own individual bowls of soup over excitedly, Dawn sighing hopelessly at their reaction, "Honestly, you two. It's not going to disappear."

"Nuz!"

A brown body suddenly leaps in front of Casey's face, disappearing again as quickly as it arrived. Casey and the others look in the direction that it ran off, just catching sight of the green leaf atop its head before it disappears into a nearby bush.

"What was that all about?"

Casey shrugs, opting to turn back to her food instead of dwelling on whatever it was that just happened. In doing this, she comes to find that the piece of stew-dipped bread she was holding onto is now gone, and she wages a bet as to who the culprit is.

"I don't know what that thing was, but it stole my food!" Casey jumps up from her seat and screams in frustration, the others shrinking back slightly into their seats as she does, presumably because they know not to test her when she's angry. If there's one thing that you don't do, it's that you don't mess with Casey when she's hungry, under _any_ circumstances.

"Nuzleaf! Oh, where did you go?!"

Casey pauses her enraged shouts momentarily at the sound of an unfamiliar voice coming from nearby. She and the others turn around as a young woman emerges from a nearby shrub, her clothing practically allowing her to blend in with the vegetation. She's wearing a dark green top that has a certain cloak like quality and a matching pair of hiking boots to accompany it. Her hair, which is of a very light brown colour, also matches with a article of clothing, being her shorts.

"Hey, have any of you seen a Nuzleaf?" She asks as she approaches the group.

 _That's what stole my food! A Nuzleaf!_

"Is the Nuzleaf yours?" Casey asks accusingly. She meant it as a question, but she doesn't even give the woman a chance to answer. She really wants her food back, "Because if so, it stole my food, and that means that your responsible!"

"What?" The woman looks confused, "Oh, a Nuzleaf would never do such a thing! No Grass-Type Pokemon would ever do anything so cruel!"

"But you still haven't answered my-."

"Oh! What a cutie!" The woman drops down onto her knees in front of Turtwig, who stares back at her with bemusement. She studies the Tiny Leaf Pokemon momentarily, seemingly mesmerised by it, before looking up at Ash, "Is this your Turtwig?"

"Yep. I'm Ash, it's nice to meet ya!" Ash smiles, "You see, Turtwig and I are training hard to get ready for our Eterna Gym Battle, and boy, are we psyched!"

"My name's Gardenia. I'm really into getting myself Grass-Type Pokemon. That's why I came out here."

"Yeah, right. Okay, listen up, Gardenia!" Casey snaps. She doesn't mean to be rude, she simply gets really cranky when she's hungry. Gardenia's name also sounds awfully familiar to her, though she can't exactly pinpoint where she's heard it from. Regardless, she's too angry to really care about that, and instead chooses to press on with her 'interrogation', "Was that your Nuzleaf or wh-?!"

Casey's abruptly cut off when Brock shoves right past her, kneeling down in front of Gardenia and pulling the usual charade he does whenever he meets a girl he's even remotely attracted to. Of course, as always, Croagunk is there to set him straight with a good old Poison Jab, leaving Casey free to talk to Gardenia once again.

"As I was saying: was that your Nuzleaf who stole my food?"

"I wish it was my Nuzleaf." Gardenia sighs wistfully, "I've been chasing it for a while now. I really wanted to catch it."

Casey looks at Gardenia pitifully as she says that. Whilst she's still annoyed that her foods been stolen, her sympathy for Gardenia disminishes some of the anger the loss of her food caused. She knows what it's like to really want to catch a Pokemon, only for it to slip away from you. That happened to her in Johto once with a Flaafy, and it was thoroughly frustrating to say the least.

"I know what'll cheer you up." Casey smiles supportively over at Gardenia, "A good battle ought to do the trick! So, what do you say?"

Gardenia nods, "That sounds great!"

Casey cheers at her response. It's been a while since she battled somebody new. She suspects that her Pokemon will respond just as positively to the prospect of taking on a new opponent.

"So, Ash, how about a battle with that Turtwig of yours?"

"Oh, come on!" Casey groans, her head hanging low in defeat as Ash agrees with Gardenia's proposition, "First my food and now this! This is not my day!"

She hears Brock and Dawn laugh from behind her, the former of the two placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Hey, you win some, you lose some."

* * *

"Is it okay if we go with two Pokemon each?"

"Sure!"

Casey, Brock and Dawn watch Gardenia and Ash converse from the sidelines, and Casey's less than pleased about it, "I should be the one up there battling!" Casey grumbles sulkily, "I suggested it in the first place, so it should be me battling!"

Brock reminds her that even though she's not the one battling, she can still learn something from watching Ash and Gardenia battle. She knows that he's right (Cynthia basically told her the exact same thing back at the meadow, after all), it's just that she doesn't want to admit it. She just wants to battle.

"Cherubi, let's go!"

Gardenia throws her Pokeball out onto the battlefield and her first Pokemon appears in a flash of bright light, crying out eagerly as it does, "Cherubi!"

"Wow! It's so cute!"

Casey has to admit that it's a cute Pokemon, but she wonders how it will perform in battle. She reaches into her pocket and withdraws her Pokedex, her eyes still trained on the cherry-like Pokemon, "Lets check it out."

 _"Cherubi, the Cherry Pokémon. All of the nutrients needed for evolution are contained in its small ball. Cherubi becomes redder as it is exposed to sunlight, and is almost ready to evolve once the smaller ball buds."_

"This will be interesting, to say the least." Brock remarks, the three trainers placing their undivided attention on the battlefield as Ash calls his first attack.

"Turtwig, let's start with Tackle! Go!"

The Tiny Leaf Pokemon rushes towards Cherubi at top speed, colliding with it effortlessly and sending it flying backwards without so much as a word from Gardenia. Ash doesn't spend long dwelling on the successful attack and instead gives his next order, "Way to go, Turtwig! Now, Razor Leaf!"

Turtwig swings its head and releases an onslaught of razor-sharp leaves towards Cherubi. The Cherry Pokemon goes into a state of panic, frantically dashing about in an attempt to dodge the powerful attack.

"Cherubi, return!" The petrified Grass-Type returns to its Pokeball in a flash of red light, Gardenia smiling over at Ash after she pockets its Pokeball, "Your Turtwig's one of the best I've ever seen!"

"What is she up to?" Casey mumbles. She feels Dawn and Brock's eyes on her, but she still keeps her own eyes trained on the battlefield, "Why return Cherubi to its Pokeball so early on? Cherubi could've easily pulled out a win, so why make it return?"

Casey's question is soon answered when Gardenia sends her next Pokemon out to battle, which just so happens to be a Turtwig, "No way! She's got a Turtwig too!"

"Now it makes sense." Brock says, "Gardenia probably wants to see how her Turtwig compares to Ash's."

 _I suppose that make sense._

"Tackle, go!"

Casey watches as Ash's Turtwig rushes forwards, still maintaining its incredible speed from before. However, this time around, the attack ends up being futile, as Gardenia's Turtwig dodges it with ease just before Ash's Turtwig reaches it.

"No way!" Casey gasps, she and the others surprised at the speed of Gardenia's Turtwig. It's even faster than Ash's, and that's saying something, "That was some impressive speed!"

"Turtwig, use Tackle one more time!"

Ash's Turtwig rushes forward once again, clearly determined to land the attack this time around. It doesn't play out the way it wants though, as Gardenia's Turtwig simply dodges it once again, and due to its already intense speed, Ash's Turtwig loses the ability to stop itself suddenly, which results in it slamming right into a nearby tree.

Casey glances over at Ash, who's clearly frustrated that Turtwig's strongest attribute, its speed, isn't working on Gardenia's Turtwig. Casey doesn't blame him. It's frustrating when your best tactic doesn't work, but there's always a way around it. The trainer just has to figure out what that way is.

"Now, use Leech Seed!"

Gardenia's Turtwig lowers its head and launches a small brown seed out of the top of it. The seed lands on Ash's Turtwig and digs inside of its scalp, sprouting vines that fully ensnare the Tiny Leaf Pokemon. At first nothing happens, but that all changes when Ash's Turtwig glows a bright red and cries out in pain. It looks like its being shocked.

"Turtwigs power's being drained!"

Gardenia orders her Turtwig to use Tackle next. The Tiny Leaf Pokemon obeys and slams directly into Ash's Turtwig who, due to the overwhelming power of Leech Seed, is unable to fight back. Ash's Turtwig goes flying back into that same tree as before, the pain rendering it unable to battle.

Ash looks crestfallen at the sudden turn of events, clearly surprised out how the battle's turned out. He returns Turtwig to its Pokeball and reaches for the next; Casey already knows who he's going to pick.

"Okay, Staravia, I choose you!"

Staravia appears on the battlefield just as Casey suspected. Ash should have the advantage now, what with Flying-Type attacks being super effective against Grass-Type Pokemon, but then again, there's more than one way to win a battle. It's not all down to type advantages and disadvantages.

 _Come on, Ash. You've got this._

"Alright, Wing Attack, go!" Ash orders, Casey smiling at his choice. He's starting out right away with a super effective attack, which in her eyes is the best way forward.

Staravia swoops down, its glowing wing angled downwards towards Turtwig, who simply dodges the attack as Staravia flies down. Ash falters slightly at this, clearly confused as to how Gardenia's Turtwig can out speed a Flying-Type like Staravia, but he responds as quickly and calmly as he can, "Come back around and use Wing Attack!"

Staravia does just that. It uses Wing Attack over and over again, and every time Gardenia's Turtwig dodges the attack with ease. It's as if it's not even trying; it doesn't need to because it's so fast. Ash eventually orders Staravia to stop, the worn out Starling Pokemon breathing heavily from exhaustion.

"You know, my Turtwig may even be a good match for your Staravia's speed!"

Gardenia's right. Her Turtwig is incredibly fast. Its clearly been trained very well.

"Is she serious?!" Ash yells. He's clearly not taking his current disposition in the battle very well, "Okay, lets give 'em Aerial Ace, right now!"

Staravia obeys his command. It dives down sharply before levelling itself out, charging towards Turtwig down on its level. Turtwig, as fast as ever, dodges the attack; Staravia continues speeding forwards and ends up rushing straight into a nearby shrub, crying out as it is buffered by the numerous brambles amongst the vegetation.

"Staravia, no!"

Staravia manages to come back out of the shrubbery, looking relatively unbuffered excluding a few leaves that have been caught up amongst its feathers. Ash looks relieved at the sight of his Pokemon.

"Now, Turtwig! Leaf Storm!"

Ash's relief quickly fades away as a tornado of high-speed leaves collide with Staravia. Despite the attack being not very effective against a Flying-Type Pokemon like Staravia, it still manages to send the Starling Pokemon flying backwards into a nearby tree. This, combined with the damage that Staravia's already sustained from the intense battle, is what secures Gardenia the win, Staravia now unable to battle just like Turtwig.

 _Wow! Gardenia sure is strong!_

Casey, Brock and Dawn walk onto the battlefield as Gardenia approaches alongside her Turtwig. Ash returns Staravia to its Pokeball, not forgetting to praise it for its performance before pocketing the Pokeball once again. He smiles at Gardenia, though Casey can tell that he's still rather upset about his loss.

"Thanks for the battle, Gardenia."

Gardenia opens her mouth to respond when a large mechanical arm seemingly appears out of nowhere. It latches onto Gardenia's Turtwig and pulls it up high in its tight grip, the Tiny Leaf Pokemon crying out in fear as its pulled away from its trainer. Casey and the others turn to look in the direction that Turtwig was pulled and find the culprits of such a cruel and unexpected act, and honestly, Casey's not too surprised when she sees who it is.

"Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket smirk down at them from up in their hot air balloon, Turtwig squirming around frantically in the retractable arm that appears to usually be held just inside of the base of the vehicles basket.

"Listen, is that a twerpish voice I hear?"

"It's speaking to me loud and clear?"

"Alright, that does it!" Casey screams. Team Rocket stop their repetitive motto instantly, seemingly terrified by Casey's rage, "You three picked the wrong day for this! First, my lunch got stolen by a wild Nuzleaf! Then, I didn't get the chance to battle, and now you three clowns do this! You three chose the wrong day to mess with me!"

Casey should probably calm down, but she's too enraged to even try. Besides, its not like any of the others are going to stop her. She reaches for one of the Pokeballs on her belt and throws it out in front of her, Elekid emerging from it with a battle cry.

"Elekid, jump up and use Hammer Arm on that mechanical arm!"

Elekid leaps up into the air as its forearm glows brightly, signalling the charging up of its Hammer Arm attack. He slams it down on the end of mechanical arm and snaps it with ease. Elekid's power makes the mechanical arm look like a piece of cooked spaghetti with how easily it snaps.

"Oh! Turtwig!" Gardenia rushes over to catch her Turtwig before it can hit the ground, hugging it tightly when she finally has it in her arms, "Oh, I'm so glad that you're okay!"

Casey looks back over at Team Rocket as Elekid lands in front of her, the electricity at the top of its head crackling in anticipation to battle. Team Rocket have panicked expressions on their faces. They know _exactly_ what's coming.

"Elekid, use Thunderbolt, let's go!"

Elekid spins its arms at top speed to charge up its power before releasing the powerful Electric-Type attack from the horns on the top of its head. The bolt of yellow lightning surges towards Team Rockets balloon, completely and utterly obliterating it in a loud explosion. Team Rocket scream as they shoot up high into the air, soon disappearing from sight amongst a small twinkle in the distance. They've blasted off once again.

"Hey, Casey." Gardenia rushes over to Casey, a look of gratitude on her face, "Thanks so much for saving Turtwig!"

"Yeah! That was awesome!" Ash adds, "You totally rocked!"

"Pikachu-chu!"

Casey smiles over at them, but she's quick to clarify who they should actually be thanking, "Thanks, but it was all down to Elekid, not me!" Casey turns around to face her Electric-Type companion, holding its Pokeball up ready to return it, "You were great, Elekid. You deserve a good rest."

Elekid nods back and, much to Casey's surprise, begins to glow brightly. It's similar to how his arm glows when he's charging up his Hammer Arm attack, except its much more vivid. The Pokeball ends up becoming completely forgotten in her hands. She knows exactly what's going on.

 _Elekid's evolving!_

The Electric Pokemon emerges from the flash of light in his new and improved form, roaring out victoriously and thrusting his much larger fists into air, "Electa-buzz!"

Casey smiles excitedly over at her newly evolved Pokemon, who looks just as excited to be in its evolved state, "This is so great, Elekid! You evolved into an Electabuzz!"

Electabuzz yells out proudly. It's almost as if its letting out a battle cry, which is just totally awesome! All of that hard work and training paid off, and Casey couldn't be happier about it. Casey hears Ash reach for his Pokedex from behind her, holding it up and scanning Electabuzz into it.

 _"Electabuzz, the Electric Pokémon. An evolved form of Elekid. It appears near power generators, and because it eats electricity, it can cause blackouts."_

"Electabuzz! That's awesome!" Ash cheers, his partner Pokemon on his shoulder adding a noise of approval himself. Ash gives Casey a confident smile, "At this rate of training, you and your Pokemon will win your second Gym Badge without a doubt!"

"Thanks, Ash, but don't forget, that goes for the both of us!" Casey smiles. Elekid's evolution has given her a new streak of confidence, similar to that she's felt during her past travels when her previous Pokemon evolved. Using that confidence, she feels that she can easily take down the Eterna City Gym Leader. As long as she has faith in herself and her Pokemon, she can't lose.

And she knows that for a fact.


	7. Searching for New Friends

_"Electabuzz! That's awesome!" Ash cheers, his partner Pokemon on his shoulder adding a noise of approval himself. Ash gives Casey a confident smile, "At this rate of training, you and your Pokemon will win your second Gym Badge without a doubt!"_

 _"Thanks, Ash, but don't forget, that goes for the both of us!" Casey smiles. Elekid's evolution has given her a new streak of confidence, similar to that she's felt during her past travels when her previous Pokemon evolved. Using that confidence, she feels that she can easily take down the Eterna City Gym Leader. As long as she has faith in herself and her Pokemon, she can't lose._

 _And she knows that for a fact._

* * *

Casey, Ash and Dawn walk through the tranquil valley silently. Brock walks alongside them, hugging his new Pokemon egg tightly and cooing affectionally at it. After parting ways with Gardenia in Eterna Forest, the group stopped off at a Pokemon Dress-Up Contest, which involves Pokemon imitating other Pokemon in the hopes of winning a Grand Prize. Brock just so happened to win that Grand Prize with Croagunk, which just so happened to be the Pokemon egg he's holding onto so tightly. He's been infatuated with it ever since he got it.

Casey grew up around a man who loves to take care of Pokemon, and even she still finds Brock's obsession with the egg to be a bit much. But, then again, if it makes him happy, there's not much to complain about. It's like how Pokemon Battles make her and Ash happy whilst, at the same time, Pokemon Contests make Dawn happy. Everybody just has that one thing they love to do, and Brock's is to look after Pokemon.

"Zigzagoon! Everything's gonna be alright!"

Casey's attention is drawn away from Brock as a rugged looking man, who appears to be some kind of fisherman, rushes towards them, looking fretfully at the Zigazoon in his arms. The Tiny Racoon Pokemon's been knocked out cold!

"Excuse me, what happened?"

The man pauses abruptly when he notices Casey and the others, the fretful expression remaining on his face as he gives his explanation, "This powerful Buizel showed up out of nowhere while I was fishing in the river back there! It dragged away my fishing rod and my Zigzagoon got knocked out! That thing sure was scary!"

"It sure does sound that way."

"Anyway, I've gotta go, but I wouldn't go fishing if I were you."

"I've gotta check out that Buizel! Come on guys! Let's go fishing!"

* * *

 _Ah, that's perfect!_

Casey sits back on a small rock on the edge of the river with a smile. She's just finished setting up her fishing rod and she's rather impressed with her handiwork. She used to go fishing sometimes with her grandfather when she was younger but, of course, she was never allowed to keep any of the Pokemon that she reeled in because she was too young. She actually caught a really cool Pokemon one time and she's been meaning to catch that Pokemon again on her travels, but she just hasn't got around to it yet. She has a feeling that the Pokemon she's looking for may be in the river, so she figured she may as well try and find it.

She's set up slightly further downstream than the others, but not too far that she can't see them. She's not overly interested in this rumoured overpowered Buizel, so its not as if she has to worry about competing against the others to try and catch it. Besides, fishing is supposed to be a peaceful activity, and she has a feeling that its only a matter of time until that peace gets interrupted, especially around Ash and Dawn.

"Come on, Ash!"

It turns out that Casey was right about a disturbance in the peace. She looks to her left and sees that Ash and Dawn are arguing with each other, the latter of the two reaching for something in the formers hand. Casey begins to stand up from the rock that she's sat on with the intention of walking over and breaking up the fight, but she pauses when she sees an unfamiliar girl with red hair walk up to Ash, Brock and Dawn. The girls arrival makes Dawn stop arguing with Ash instantly, and Casey watches from a distance as her friends engage in a conversation with the girl.

"Hey, Casey! Come over here!" Dawn calls over to her.

Casey figures that she might as well listen to Dawn's request and go and introduce herself. She walks down the riverside and over to her friends, smiling over at the redheaded girl as Dawn introduces her.

"This is Zoey. She's the Coordinator that Kenny mentioned. She was the one who beat me back at the Jubilife Contest."

"It's nice to meet you, Casey." Zoey says as she extends her hand out to Casey.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too." Casey smiles politely over at Zoey as she shakes her hand in greeting, "So, are you here for some fishing like us? We came because we heard there was a really powerful Buizel here."

"Really? It sounds pretty cool." Zoey replies, her attention suddenly drawn to the river, "Somebody's got a bite!"

Casey turns towards the river and notices that one of the fishing rods is shaking violently, signifying that a Pokemon is latching onto it from beneath the water. The fishing rod turns out to be Dawn's; the bluenette rushes over to the river and pulls at the fishing rod, just barely managing to reel in the Pokemon tugging at it.

They're all excited and rather stunned that none other than the infamous overpowered Buizel leaps up out of the water, landing on the river bank with a loud battle cry. Casey's never actually seen a Buizel before, so she takes the opportunity to scan its data into her Pokedex.

 _"Buizel, the Sea Weasel Pokémon. It stores air in the sacs on its neck and uses them as flotation devices, and swims by spinning its two tails like a propeller."_

Casey pockets her Pokedex and draws her attention back towards the Buizel. She still has no intention in catching it, but she has to admit that the Sea Weasel Pokemon exerts a certain confidence that she finds intriguing.

"Hey, Casey. Is that your fishing rod?"

Casey looks where Zoey is pointing, which just so happens to be behind Buizel further down the riverside where she set up her fishing rod. It looks much like Dawn's fishing rod did a few moments ago, which means only one thing. She's got a bite!

 _It could be that Pokemon!_

Casey begins to rush forwards, excited to see what Pokemon she's caught onto, only to be abruptly stopped by Buizel. The Water-Type Pokemon jumps up into the air as the tips of its tail glows brightly, a cocky expression plastered across its face. It flips around and releases a powerful shock wave right at Casey and the attack makes a direct hit, sending her flying back instantly. She lands with a thud on the rocky ground just in front of the others, her back searing in pain upon impact.

"Casey!" Ash and Dawn are quick to help their friend up, all of them looking at her in concern, "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Casey winces as she straightens herself out, turning her attention back to Buizel with an intense, "What did you go and do that for?!"

"Bui-Bui!"

"I think Buizel wants to have a battle." Brock remarks.

Casey supposes that makes sense, but it still doesn't explain why Buizel attacked her. Maybe it just wants them all to watch it battle. Regardless, Casey's got to admit that the Sea Weasel Pokemon's sure got a lot of determination.

"If Buizel wants a battle, then we'll give it one!" Dawn reaches for one of her Pokeballs and throws it out in front of her enthusiastically, "Go, Piplup!"

Piplup appears in a flash of bright light in front of Buizel, whos excitement seems to increase at the sight of the small Penguin Pokemon. Casey's interested to see how this'll play out, what with it being a battle between two Water-Types.

"Alright, Piplup, use Peck!"

Piplup's beak glows brightly as it charges towards Buizel, who easily dodges the attack, its confident expression growing by the second. Dawn next orders Piplup to use Bubblebeam, but Buizel blocks it by countering with Water Gun; both attacks diffuse when coming into contact with each other, leaving small, shimmering water droplets to rain down on the battlefield briefly.

 _That'd be an awesome combination for Dawn to use in a contest!_

"Now, Bubblebeam, once more!"

A stream of bubbles race towards Buizel for the second time. Casey expects it to counter by using Water Gun like before, but Buizel decides to take a different approach and uses Aqua Jet instead. Its entire body is suddenly surrounded by what resembles a barrier of water and it charges right at Piplup, tackling the Penguin Pokemon and rendering it unable to battle.

 _All it took was one direct hit! That Buizel really is strong!_

Dawn rushes over to Piplup and lifts her injured Pokemon up into her arms, muttering concerned words as she does. Buizel soon forgets about Dawn and moves onto its next challenger, aiming a taunting gesture over at Zoey. That's who it wants to battle next.

"Buizel wants to take me on now?" Zoey seems surprised at Buizels request, but she reaches for a Pokeball and tosses it out nonetheless, "Alright! Glameow, curtain!"

Zoey's Glameow emerges from its Pokeball with a loud purring noise. It makes perfect sense to Casey why Zoey has a Glameow. It seems like the ideal kind of Pokemon to take part in Pokemon Contests. It has such an elegant demeanour.

"Glameow, jump up!"

Glameow obeys Zoey's command and uses its tail to propel itself high up into the air. Buizel seems to get the same idea and jumps up itself, much to everybody's surprise. It's normal for a trained Pokemon to be this skilled, but a wild Pokemon? That doesn't happen often.

"Now, Shadow Claw!"

A black and purple aura surrounds Glameow's paw as it prepares to slash Buizel with the powerful Ghost-Type move. Buizel counters the attack with Aqua Jet and the two Pokemon smash into each other head on, the Sea Weasel Pokemon ultimately overpowering Glameow. Glameow slams down onto the ground, completely knocked out by Aqua Jet, as Buizel lands comfortably back on its side of the battlefield, already preparing to attack again.

"Buizel, stop it!"

Buizel doesn't listen and instead continues to charge out its Aqua Jet attack, which only angers Casey further. It's already beat Glameow, so why does it need to attack it again? Casey's not about to let that happen.

"Electabuzz, come out and defend Glameow!"

She throws Electabuzz's Pokeball out onto the battlefield and the recently evolved Electric Pokemon appears in a bright flash. It surges forwards and in front of Glameow as Buizel's Aqua Jet approaches, holding its defensive stance and stopping Buizel dead in its tracks. This seems to catch Buizel off guard (its probably not used to anybody stopping it from doing what it chooses to), but the Sea Weasel Pokemon soon jumps out of range and to safety.

"Thanks for that, Casey." Zoey says, walking over to her Glameow and lifting her injured partner Pokemon up into her arms, "You really helped Glameow there."

Casey smiles over at Zoey, saying that it was no problem. She thanks Electabuzz for his help and returns him to his Pokeball before turning to Ash, flashing a smile over in his direction, "Why don't you give it a shot, Ash?"

"Sure!" Ash replies enthusiastically. He glances over at Pikachu, who is situated on his shoulder as per usual, "You ready to go, buddy?"

Pikachu jumps off of Ash's shoulder with a cry of approval, the electricity crackling at its cheeks as it stares down Buizel from the other side of the battlefield. Pikachu's ready to show Buizel just how strong it is.

"Now, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

Buizel jumps out of the way just before Pikachu's super effective attack reaches it, but Ash is quick to counter its dodge, "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu races towards Buizel at breakneck speed, who tries to hold it off by using Sonic Boom. Pikachu dodges its attempt and leaps up towards Buizel as it reaches it, but Buizel manages to dodge once again by jumping up. It seems that Ash has planned for this though, as he gives a split-second command to Pikachu for it to use Iron Tail. Even though the attack isn't as effective as its Electric-Type attack, Iron Tail still makes a direct hit and sends Buizel tumbling to the ground. It seems to have caused a significant amount of damage to the overconfident Water-Type Pokemon.

Despite the damage, Buizel does manage to get back up again, much to everybodys surprise.

 _How is it so powerful?!_

"Now, Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

Casey smirks as golden electricity surrounds Pikachu's body. If Pikachu can land this attack, Buizel will surely be down for the count. That'll give Ash the perfect opportunity to catch Buizel, and then this entire fiasco can be over and done with.

As Pikachu charges towards it, Buizel attempts to stop it with a Water Gun attack, but to no avail. Pikachu slams right into Buizel and sends it flying; Buizel seems to be temporarily immobilised. If Ash is going to catch it, the time is now.

"Alright! Pokeball, let's go!"

Ash throws a new Pokeball at Buizel with gusto. The device pops open and Buizels dematerialises inside of it in a flash of red light. The ball lands back on the ground and begins to shake, everybody waiting in anticipation as it does. Will Buizel break out or stay inside?

"Bui!"

Buizel breaks out of its Pokeball much to everybody's surprise and prepares another Aqua Jet. Ash calls out to Pikachu to be careful but the Electric Mouse Pokemon can't react fast enough and gets hit with Buizels attack, the force of it sending Pikachu spiralling into the nearby river.

"Pikachu! Get out of the water, quick!"

Pikachu calls over to its trainer and begins to swim towards shore, knowing that it can't fight very well if its not on land. Pikachu gets about halfway towards the river bank when Buizel suddenly shoots out of the water in yet another Aqua Jet. It dives down and pushes Pikachu deep underwater, leaving Casey and the others in the dark about what's going on.

Come on, Pikachu! Do something!

Everything is silent for a few moments as Casey and the others wait in anticipation for Pikachu to resurface. The Electric Mouse Pokemon does eventually, but not in the way that you'd think. It comes flying up from underneath the water surface and lands directly on Ash's head, sending him to the ground in an instant. Pikachu's been knocked out cold.

"Wow, even Pikachu got beat!"

 _That Buizel sure is something! Its power is unbelievable!_

"Bui! Bui!"

Casey looks back towards the river when she hears Buizel's voice. The Sea Weasel Pokemon is looking over at them smugly from within the water, holding three fishing rods in its right hand: Dawn's, Ash's and Zoey's. It calls out to them cockily one last time before turning and swimming down the river, taking the fishing rods with it.

"Hey, wait! Come back here, Buizel!" Dawn yells, Buizel completely ignoring her and continuing to swim away anyway, which only frustrates her even more, "So Buizel's a thief too, then?!"

"It must keep the fishing rods of the trainers its defeated as trophies or something."

At the mention of fishing rods Casey suddenly remembers her own fishing rod slightly further upstream, well, to be more precise, she remembers that her fishing rod managed to catch onto something further upstream. She runs as fast as she can over to her fishing rod, the others following close behind, but stops abruptly when she sees what she feared to be the case.

"No! It got away!"

"What got away, Casey?" Ash asks, "What were you looking for?"

"Well, I don't know if it was what I caught onto, but I'm trying to catch a Shellos."

The others look at her in confusion, "A Shellos?"

Casey nods. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her Pokedex, quickly sifting through the data she's collected to find what she has on Shellos. She finds it and extends her Pokedex out to them, "Here it is."

 _"Shellos, the Sea Slug Pokémon. Shellos's shape and color varies depending on where it lives. Two different varieties have been confirmed in the Sinnoh region."_

"You see, I've been meaning to catch a Shellos for a while now, but I haven't had the chance." Casey explains. Her friends still look rather confused, so she's quick to give a more in depth explanation so it becomes clear to them, "When I was a little kid, I used to go fishing with my Grandpa sometimes. One time I reeled in a Shellos and I thought it was such a cool Pokemon, but I had to let it go since I wasn't old enough to have my own Pokemon."

"Couldn't your Grandpa look after it?" Brock asks, "You mentioned that he was a Pokemon Breeder, so he must know how to take care of Pokemon."

Casey shakes her head, "He does, but he was already looking after too many Pokemon from other trainers. I was quite young at the time, and he was still a full-time Pokemon Breeder so we had loads of Pokemon at home. If he took on anymore he wouldn't have been able to cope."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Casey." Dawn says sympathetically, "It must have been hard for you to let that Shellos go."

"It was at first. I was incredibly stubborn about it and was a bit of a brat about it to be honest." Casey says sheepishly, her face tinting red when she thinks about the embarrassing memories of that time, "But then I realised that when I grew up, I could catch a Shellos of my own and train it myself! That's why I really want to catch one, but right now that dream's looking kinda hopeless!"

"Why don't you try searching further downstream?" Zoey suggests. Casey perks up at her words and directs her attention towards the redhead, "All of that fighting with Buizel would've scared other wild Pokemon out of the area, and they'd likely head downstream because there's more space there."

"That's right! Streams become wider the closer they get to the ocean, which just so happens to be towards the bottom end of the stream!" Brock chimes in.

"But, what about that Buizel? Don't you guys want help in getting your fishing rods back?"

"Nah! We'll be fine!" Dawn smiles, "No need to worry! You go and catch a Shellos and we'll go deal with Buizel! We can all meet up again later!"

Casey smiles gratefully over at her friends. She decides to take them up on their offer and begins to make her way downstream, calling back at them as she goes, "I'll see you guys in a bit! Good luck against Buizel!"

She turns back around as they call back to her, wishing her luck in finding a Shellos. Casey appreciates their support, but she doesn't want to rely on luck. She's determined to find a Shellos that she can call her own. It's only a matter of time now.

* * *

Casey groans in frustration as she reaches the end of the riverside, the sudden lack of path preventing her from going any further. She's been walking for what feels like hours at this point, and she hasn't had any luck in finding a Shellos. She's seen a couple of cool Pokemon for sure, notably an Octillery and a Finneon that were both quite fast, but neither of them were the Pokemon that she's looking for. She's really determined to catch a Shellos.

 _Grrr!_

Casey's hand instantly moves to her stomach when it growls in hunger. All of that walking must've made her rather hungry, though she hadn't really noticed it until just now. It's probably because she's been so focused on finding a Shellos.

 _I suppose I could take a_ _quick lunch break before heading back upstream._

Casey decides to follow through on her thoughts. She perches on a nearby rock, similar to the one she sat on further upstream, and moves to take her bag off of her back. She knows that she has a sandwich in there since she saw Brock placing it in there earlier that day. She rummages around the numerous items in her bag before finally finding what she's looking for, pulling said item out of the bag with a smile on her face.

 _This ought to hit the spot!_

She pulls away the plastic wrap from the sandwich and moves to take a bite out of it, but she abruptly pauses when she hears an unfamiliar sound to her left.

"Corp! Corphish!"

Casey places her sandwich down and reaches into her pocket, quickly withdrawing her Pokedex and pointing it over at the foreign Pokemon.

 _"Corphish, the Ruffian Pokémon. Corphish lives anywhere, adapting to its surroundings, its pincers hold on tightly when it catches prey."_

"A Corphish, huh?" Casey murmurs, placing her Pokedex back into her pocket and reaching for her sandwich again, "What's up, Corphish? Are you hungry?"

"Corphish! Corp!"

The Corphish knocks the sandwich out of Casey's hand and starts yelling frantically at Casey, much to the young trainers surprise. Usually she'd be annoyed if somebody, person or Pokemon, did something to sabotage her food, but at the sight of Corphish's frantic cries her anger disappears instantly.

"What's wrong, Corphish?"

Corphish turns around and begins to head into the nearby forest, calling and beckoning for Casey to follow. Despite being slightly skeptical, Casey packs her sandwich back into her bag and slings the bag over her shoulder, standing up from the ground and following the Corphish into the forest.

The Corphish leads Casey through the forest for a good few minutes before they finally reach their destination, which just so happens to be a small rock pool containing a cowering Pokemon that looks very familiar. As soon as Casey notices the Pokemon she kneels down beside the rock pool and shrugs her bag off her shoulder, her eyes going wide when she realises exactly what's wrong with the Pokemon.

It's a Shellos and it appears to be paralyzed. Small sparks are crackling around the Pokemon's body and its letting out small cries of pain to show its discomfort. Casey glances over at the Corphish, who is staring down at the Shellos with concern. It must be Shellos' friend, "Is this why you led me here, Corphish? You're worried about Shellos, aren't you?"

Corphish nods and lets out a cry of agreement, a sad tone evident in its voice. The Ruffian Pokemon is clearly desperate for its friend to get better. Casey wonders how long Shellos has been like this. She doesn't want to think about it; she chooses to act instead of ponder on her thoughts any longer.

"Shellos is going to be just fine, Corphish. I promise." Casey says reassuringly, "All we need to do is find a Cheri Berry to cure its Paralyzis and Shellos will be good to go. Do you reckon that you could help me out with that?"

"Corp! Corphish!" Corphish cries out enthusiastically and nods.

Casey smiles at the Ruffian Pokemon's reaction. She thinks back to what Brock told her about Cheri Berries a while back, specifically where exactly they grow. She remembers him mentioning something about them blooming around flowers, so she figures that she may as well start the search there.

"Corphish, do you happen to know if any flowers bloom near here?" Casey asks. The Ruffian Pokemon nods and points one of its claws to the left, "Do you mind showing me where they bloom?"

Corphish nods and begins to head off in the direction that it motioned in. Casey stands to follow Corphish, but she reaches for her belt and throws it up into the air, Monferno appearing in a flash of bright light, "Monferno, can you keep an eye on Shellos for me until I get back?"

"Mon! Monferno!"

"Thanks, pal. I'll be back soon." Casey smiles at the Playful Pokemon gratefully.

Casey turns around and follows after Corphish further into the forest. The Ruffian Pokemon leads her through a plethora of trees before finally reaching a small flower meadow. There's still trees amongst the various flower patches, but there's nowhere near as many as there is in the rest of the forest. If there's a Cheri Berry in this forest, it'll be here.

"Lets split up and look around, Corphish." Casey says, "This meadow isn't too big, so it shouldn't take us too long to search it all. Keep an eye out for a red berry with a green stem, okay? Let me know if you find anything."

Corphish nods and rushes off to the left side of the meadow, scanning each of the trees for the berry that Casey described.

 _I guess I'll take the right side, then._

Casey does just that. She heads over to the opposite side of the meadow and begins to search the nearby trees, keeping a close eye out for a Cheri Berry. She looks through the branches of numerous trees but she can only seem to find Chesto Berries, which are no good. Chesto Berries awaken Pokemon, not cure paralysis.

"Corp! Corphish!"

Casey turns around when she hears Corphish call out to her. The Water-Type is rushing towards her at top speed, dropping a Cherri Berry at Casey's feet when it reaches her. Casey smiles at the Ruffian Pokemon as she leans down to pick up the berry and place it safely within her pocket, "This is perfect, Corphish! Thank you!"

Corphish cries out happily as it receives praise, but it's excitement is soon replaced with panic when an intense ray of fire shoots up high above the trees before disappearing, the sky calm once again.

 _That looked like Monferno's Flamethrower!_

Casey wastes no time in rushing back to investigate what's going on. She and Corphish rush out of the meadow and back towards the rock pool, shocked to find a pack of wild Luxray closing in on Shellos and Monferno, the latter of the two standing protectively over the former.

"Monferno!"

The Playful Pokemon looks relieved when it sees Casey approaching, but this relief quickly disappears when one of the Luxray snarls at Casey, making her stop almost instantly. She holds a defensive stance as two of the five Luxray turn towards her, Corphish hiding behind her back leg and shaking in fear. It doesn't take long for Casey to put two and two together, "So these Luxray were the ones who attacked Shellos in the first place!"

The Luxray snarl again as they move closer and closer towards Casey and Corphish, the electricity crackling dangerously at their tails the closer they get. Casey knows what that means: the Luxray are going to launch an attack any moment now.

 _I've got to stop them!_

"Monferno, you keep protecting Shellos, okay?" Casey says, the Playful Pokemon inching closer to Shellos as he raises his guard. Casey looks back to the two Luxray before her, reaching for the other two Pokeballs on her belt and throwing them out in front of her, "Alright, Electabuzz and Dratini, come on out!"

The two Pokemon emerge from their Pokeballs with battle cries, both of them raising their guards at the sight of their opponents. Its a good thing that they did, as one of the Luxray lunges forwards mere moments later, its mouth open wide and its sharp teeth exposed. It's going to use Crunch.

"Electivire, block it and then use Thunder Punch, let's go!"

Electabuzz moves to block the attack from the first Luxray as the second decides to make its move, instead choosing to use Spark when going up against Dratini. It's a good thing that Casey has a counter for that too.

"Dratini, use Dragon Rage to stop Luxray's attack and knock it back!"

Both Dratini and Electabuzz use their counter attacks simultaneously and they both manage to send the Luxray flying backwards, knocking them both out cold easily. Casey smirks at that: it turns out they aren't as tough as they look.

"Monferno!"

Casey draws her attention away from the knocked out Luxray and over to Monferno when he cries out in agony. It seems that whilst he was defending Shellos from the two Luxray in front of him, the third snuck up behind him and attacked him whilst his back was turned. If that's the case, the Luxray don't seem to care about playing dirty in order to get to Shellos.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!"

The two Luxray in front of Monferno turn around to face Casey, bearing their sharp teeth and snarling much like the previous two. These Luxray sure are vicious, to say the least. She's never seen wild Pokemon act this crazy before, and she sure has seen some shocking things on her travels in the past.

 _It looks like we'll have to deal with these two, as well._

"Alright, Electabuzz, use Hammer Arm and Dratini, you use Dragon Rage again!"

Her Pokemon obey her commands once again and launch their attacks at the Luxray, both of them going down with one hit just like the previous two. These Luxray really aren't that strong, or maybe her Pokemon are just really strong, who knows? Regardless, there's now only one Luxray left, and it seems that Monferno is already dealing with it by using Flamethrower.

The final Luxray cries out as Monferno's Flamethrower burns it, though the attack isn't enough to exactly knock it down. Thankfully, they don't need it to, as help arrives just moments later in the form of Ash and the others. The Luxray notices their arrival and rushes off further into the forest. The other Luxray, who must've regained consciousness at some point, seemingly notice that their leader is leaving, and her quick to stumble off after it. All five Luxray disappear amongst the trees by the time Ash and the others reach Casey, looking at her with both confusion and concern.

"What was that all about?" Ash asks.

"Those Luxray were trying to get to Shellos, but we handled it." Casey turns towards Dratini and Electabuzz with a grateful, pointing their Pokeballs towards them, "Thanks for all your help, you two."

Electabuzz and Dratini cry out happily as they dematerialise into their Pokeballs. Casey smiles down at the Pokeballs in her hands briefly before clipping them back onto her belt, turning her attention back towards what's important. Shellos.

She turns around and heads over to the rock pool, Corphish following closely behind her. She kneels down at the edge of the rock pool, grimacing when she sees Shellos' state. The poor Sea Slug Pokemon isn't fairing too well. Its paralysis seems to be getting worse and worse by the second.

Casey feels the others peering over her shoulder, likely curious as to what exactly is going on. Casey didn't exactly give them a very detailed explanation, but it doesn't take them long to catch on when they see Shellos. She hears Brock gasp, the Pokemon Breeder expressing his concern for the Sea Slug Pokemon, "Shellos is really badly paralysed! We need to find a Cherri Berry, and fast!"

"Corphish already did." Casey reaches into her pocket and pulls out the Cherri Berry that Corphish gave her earlier, holding it up for the others to see, "This is it, isn't it, Brock?"

Brock nods, "That's it. But how did you manage to find one?"

"Corphish led me to a nearby meadow and we found one there, well, Corphish found one." Casey replies, Corphish crying out triumphantly at her declaration.

Casey decides not to waste any more time. She turns back towards Shellos and holds the Cherri Berry out to it, speaking to it in a soft and reassuring voice, "Here, Shellos. Eat this. It'll make you feel much better."

Shellos leans forward as far as it can with its paralysis in effect and takes a small bite out of the red berry; the effects of the berry are almost immediate. The sparks that are crackling around Shellos fade away, and the Sea Slug Pokemon looks much happier. Shellos sits up and looks around, taking in its surroundings for the first time in a while, and it jumps back when it notices Casey and the others.

 _It must be afraid of us._

 _"Corphish! Corp!"_

Casey glances over at Corphish. The Ruffian Pokemon looks relieved to see that its friend is okay, but it seems that it is doing more than just expressing its relief. It motions over to Casey with its claw as it talks to Shellos, whose fear and skepticism seems to slowly be fading away. Casey glances over at Monferno, hoping that her partner Pokemon can perhaps provide some clarification about the exchange between the two Water-Type Pokemon, but Monferno's attention is instead focused its trainer, an almost...knowing expression on its face.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Monferno?"

Casey doesn't get an answer to that question as her focus is soon drawn away from Monferno when she feels a heavy weight on her head, the force of which sends Casey tumbling down to the ground. She manages to land on her rear and she hears the others laughing at her, a Pokemon's cry following after the laughter.

"Shellos! Shell!"

"I think Shellos likes you, Casey." Dawn says as her laughter dies down, a smile settling on her face.

Casey reaches up to her head and lifts Shellos off of it. She holds the Sea Slug Pokemon and smiles down at it, "Is that true, Shellos?"

Shellos lets out a cry of agreement and nods its head towards Casey's belt, tapping lightly at the Pokeballs resting there. This catches Casey off guard, but it seems that Zoey catches on to what Shellos is trying to say rather quickly.

"I think that Shellos wants to go with you, Casey." Casey turns around and looks at the Coordinator in surprise, "You did help it out, after all. It makes sense, if you ask me."

Casey turns back to Shellos and studies the Pokemon's expression momentarily, "Is that true, Shellos?"

Shellos nods enthusiastically and motions towards the Pokeballs once again, clearly eager to have one to call its own. Casey reaches to grab a new Pokeball to do just that, holding it out in front of Shellos and smiling down at the Sea Slug Pokemon, "Ready, Shellos?"

"Shell!"

Shellos taps the front of the Pokeball and opens up the small capturing device. Shellos dematerialises inside of the Pokeball in the flash of red light, the device shaking once before letting out a quiet clicking sound, signifying that Shellos has been caught. Casey stands up and smiles triumphantly down at the Pokeball in her hand.

 _I did it! I caught a Shellos!_

"It looks like we've got another new Pokemon in our little family." Brock says.

Casey turns around and looks at her friends. It doesn't take long for her to put two and two together, "You guys caught Buizel? Which one of you caught it?"

Casey ends up spending the next thirty minutes or so just talking to her friends, hearing about how Dawn managed to catch the overpowered Sea Weasel Pokemon and telling them about how she helped out Shellos, all the while content with knowing that she achieved what she set out to do so long ago.

She finally caught a Shellos.


	8. Dealing with Museum Mishaps

_Casey turns around and looks at her friends. It doesn't take long for her to put two and two together, "You guys caught Buizel? Which one of you caught it?"_

 _Casey ends up spending the next thirty minutes or so just talking to her friends, hearing about how Dawn managed to catch the overpowered Sea Weasel Pokemon and telling them about how she helped out Shellos, all the while content with knowing that she achieved what she set out to do so long ago._

 _She finally caught a Shellos._

* * *

Casey comes to a stop when she reaches her intended destination, smiling when she finally sets her eyes upon it again. It sure has been a long time since she last came here. She turns around and smiles at her friends, "Isn't it awesome, guys!?"

"Sure." Ash replies, "But what is it exactly?"

"It's the Eterna Historical Museum, Ash! It's full of statues and models that illustrate Sinnoh's extensive history of myths and legends! It's totally awesome!" Casey explains as she turns to face the exterior of the large facility, "It sure has been a while since I was last here."

"Oh, so you've been here before, then?"

"That's right. My Grandpa came here with me a couple of times when I was little. I don't remember too much about the artefacts or anything, but I do remember that I used to love coming here." Casey explains, a smile coming to her face when she thinks of the memories, "So, I think that you guys will love it too. That's why I suggested coming here."

"I say we check it out."

"I agree." Dawn chimes in, "It sounds interesting."

Casey smiles over at her friends for their enthusiasm, "Alright! Let's go!"

* * *

Casey walks through the door into the next exhibit hall of the extensive museum, her friends following closely behind her. She's actually looking for one thing in particular: the Adamant Orb. Whilst all of the things in the museum have interested her so far, and her friends for that matter, she's still keen to see the special orb that she's heard so many people talking about. Apparently its one of the main drivers of tourism to the Eterna Historical Museum. People supposedly travel from all over Sinnoh just to see it.

"What exactly are you looking for, Casey?"

"The Adamant Orb." Casey replies as she begins to browse around the various glass cabinets in the room, "I really want to see it."

"What exactly is the Adamant Orb?" Ash asks.

"I don't know."

Ash and the others deadpan over at Casey, "You don't know."

"Yep. I don't really know what it is." Casey replies bluntly as she turns to face her friends. She figures that she might as well be honest about it, "I really want to see it. People travel far and wide just to glance at it through a glass case. That means that its gotta be cool!"

 _Beep! Beep!_

Casey hastily brings her hands up to her ears when an alarm of some kind blares throughout the museum. It's similar to the kind of alarm that sounds when an emergency exit door is opened unexpectedly, except its volume seems to have been amplified drastically from that. Casey glances over at her friends, who are wearing confused expressions similar to the one that she likely has.

"Somebody's stealing the orb! They're taking the orb!"

A man dressed in formal attire, presumably an employee at the museum, rushes into the room through a door leading into yet another whilst yelling hysterically, rushing right past Casey and her friends and into the next room, still yelling hysterically as he goes.

He must be talking about the Adamant Orb!

Casey glances over at her friends, slowly moving her hands away from her ears as she begins to adjust to the blaring noise, "Guys, let's go check out what's going on! Come on!"

Casey makes a dash for the door leading into the next room whilst the others follow her without question. They rush down the corridor connecting the previous room to the next as the alarm continues to blare consistently, the noise seemingly becoming duller the longer it goes on for. Casey's just getting used to it over time, to be honest.

They finally arrive in the next room, and the first thing that Casey notices is the smashed glass cabinet right in the centre of the room. If she were to guess, she reckons that the smashed cabinet is likely supposed to be where the Adamant Orb resides. Somebody must've stolen it!

"Look, guys! Up there!"

Casey looks up to where Dawn's pointing and takes notice of what looks like two masked vigilantes, one of whom is holding the Adamant Orb with a wide smirk on their face. A Pokemon is by their feet, a Sunflora to be more precise, although something seems to be off about it. Casey can't exactly figure out what that is though.

"Why, you crooks! You did that?"

"The Adamant Orb is legendary, don't forget!" One of the crooks cackles, smirking down at the orb in their hands, "Just like us!"

"Well, you won't have it for long!" Officer Jenny comes rushing into the room, much to everybody's surprise (and Brock's delight). A Pokemon also comes running in with her; Casey recognises it to be a Stunky, "Stunky, ten-hut!"

Stunky strikes a defensive formation, leaning its weight on its front legs and lifting its hind up into the air. It looks rather odd in this stance, but Casey's just grateful that help's arrived, so she's not about to question it.

"Wow! Eterna City's Officer Jenny's got a Stunky, huh?" Ash gasps. He reaches into his pocket and withdraws his Pokedex, scanning Stunky's data into the device.

 _"Stunky, the Skunk Pokémon. It protects itself by spraying a foul smelling liquid from its hindquarters which lasts for twenty-four hours."_

Casey figures that must be what the stance is for. It's likely how Stunky prepares to release its stench. She has to admit that it's a rather ingenious defensive tactic: it gets the job done without physically harming your opponent.

"Please! It can't smell any worse than you twerps! Go, Seviper!"

One of the crooks throws a Pokeball out in front of her and a Seviper emerges in a flash of bright light, instantly using its Haze attack to cloak the room in thick, black smoke. Casey coughs furiously as she accidentally inhales some of the smoke, bringing a hand up to her mouth and nose to prevent any more smoke from entering her airways.

As soon as the smoke clears Casey looks up to wear the crooks were stood before, not too surprised to find that they've disappeared. That explains Sevipers Haze attack. It was all just a diversion to allow them to escape. Whilst it was a rather clever tactic, Casey wishes that the crooks never came up with it. They've taken the Adamant Orb, after all.

 _We've got to get the orb back!_

* * *

"Sir, we came in after the thieves were finished breaking into the Adamant Orbs case!" Dawn explains to a police officer, who is taking notes as she explains what they saw, which admittedly wasn't much.

Soon after the smoke cleared from Seviper's Haze attack Officer Jenny called in numerous other officers in her platoon to secure the crime scene and calm down the general public who have been locked inside of the museum. The last thing they want is for mass hysteria to break out and cause even more chaos. The Police Force have got enough on their plate as it is.

"I can't believe it! The crooks were using Grass-Type Pokemon, huh?! They've got some nerve! Those jerks!"

Casey hears a familiar feminine voice yelling hysterically. She sounds really fired up, and even without looking she can tell that they're shouting at somebody else, as she can hear another person trying to calm them down. She turns her head towards the voice and is surprised to find that Gardenia, a strong trainer that she and her friends met briefly back in Eterna Forest, is standing at the front of the growing crowd at the rooms entrance, arguing furiously with the police officer posted there.

"Gardenia?"

Gardenia notices Casey and the others and smiles, her angry countenance fading away as soon as she sees them. She crosses over the barrier set up at the door and walks over to them, waving at them as she approaches, "Hey! Nice to see you all!"

Casey moves to address Gardenia, keen to here about what she's been getting up to since they last saw her, but Brock manages to beat her to it. He shoves past Casey, almost knocking her over in the process, and kneels down on one knee in front of Gardenia; he pulls his usual charade and looks up at Gardenia like she's the only girl in the world. Of course, as always, Croagunk is quick to snuff out any signs of admiration that Brock has towards Gardenia with a swift Poison Jab; Croagunk drags Brock away when his entire body goes limp, making him unable to protest his Pokemon's actions.

Casey can't help but wonder where exactly Croagunk takes Brock when he drags him away.

Casey decides to draw her thoughts away from Croagunk and instead over to Gardenia. She smiles over at the Grass-Type Pokemon trainer warmly, "So, Gardenia, how have you been?"

"I've been great, actually. Well, that is until I heard that those crooks who stole the Adamant Orb were using Grass-Type Pokemon!" Gardenia explains, her anger from before shining through again, "Grass-Type Pokemon are all pure and true! It's unfair that crooks are corrupting them!"

Casey nods and tries her best to look like she understands what Gardenia's going on about. She really does have an extreme passion for Grass-Type Pokemon to the point where it kinda terrifies her. Don't get her wrong, Casey loves and respects Pokemon as well, but Gardenia seems to take it to a new extreme with Grass-Type Pokemon. It's almost unnerving to witness, but at the same time it does show that Gardenia is a good person who truly cares about Pokemon.

"Excuse me!" Officer Jenny's cool voice cuts through Gardenia's incessant ramblings about Grass-Type Pokemon. The officer walks over to the group along with a rather tall man in her custody. Casey doesn't recognise him, but she has to admit that he does look rather odd. He's wearing green robes similar to those worn by a bard in ancient mythology, he's holding a golden harp in his hands, and he has a calm expression on his face despite being in the custody of a police officer, "I've just captured suspect number one! Get this: he calls himself a Pokemon troubadour, but I don't buy it at all!"

"Nando!"

Casey's looks over at her friends in bemusement. They seem to recognise this oddly dressed man. Even Brock's snapped out of his crippled state to gasp in surprise at the sight of the man.

"Who's Nando?"

Dawn's quick to answer Casey's question. She explains that Nando is a friend of theirs that they met before they even reached Oreburgh City for Ash's first Gym Battle. Apparently he trains Grass and Bug Type Pokemon and wishes to compete in both the Pokemon League and Pokemon Contests. From that information alone, Casey makes the assumption that he's quite the dedicated trainer. It must be difficult to compete in both as you need to raise Pokemon that can easily interchange between the two different battling styles of the two events, and that takes skill.

"It's nice to meet you, Nando." Casey says, smiling politely over at the versatile trainer, "What brings you here?"

"I was studying Sinnoh's magnificent history here in the museum when suddenly the alarm bell sounded, and I found myself surrounded by the police." Nando begins to strum on the strings of his harp, choosing to finish his explanation in song form, "Poor Sunflora became frightened and ran away. Then light took its course as it is want to do, and in the blink of an eye I find myself standing before you!"

"Stop!" Officer Jenny orders forcefully, "Sunflora wasn't frightened! You let it escape!"

"But we are guilty of nothing."

"Your song is full of guilt!"

Casey has to hold back a scoff at that. In her eyes, Nando is the last person who would commit a crime. She may have only known him for an incredibly short time, but she can tell that he has a calm and compassionate demeanour. He looks like he couldn't even steal candy from a baby, let alone steal a priceless artefact. There's no way that he's behind all of this.

"Hey, I know you!" Gardenia gasps, looking over at Nando with recognition, "You challenged my Gym the other day!"

Nando nods respectfully at Gardenia, thanking her for giving him a fine battle. Ash, Brock and Dawn seem completely baffled at the exchange. It doesn't take Casey long to put two and two together.

"Now it makes sense why you're so strong!" Casey gasps, "You're the Eterna City Gym Leader, right?"

Gardenia nods, "That's right."

"That's awesome, Gardenia!" Ash chimes in, "I mean, I always knew that you were really strong, but it's still awesome!"

Casey begins to listen with deep interest as Gardenia and Nando explain their intense battle. Gardenia compliments Nando's Pokemon skill in battle, particularly that of his Roselia. Nando makes note on how powerful Gardenia's Turtwig was and how its Leaf Storm sure was difficult to combat. Casey makes a mental note to keep an eye out on Gardenia's Turtwig during her own Gym Battle.

Casey's attention is soon drawn away from Gardenia and Nando when Officer Jenny blows her whistle, clearly frustrated that they aren't fully focused on the dire matter at hand. Casey doesn't really blame her, to be honest, but she doesn't have to be so harsh about it.

"You stop this right now! This is serious!" Officer Jenny yells harshly, turning her attention towards Gardenia next, "Now as for you, why aren't you doing your job as Gym Leader?!"

"You see, when I get a small break sometimes, I like to get out of the Gym for a while." Gardenia replies sheepishly.

"Uh, Casey and I just went over to the Eterna Gym to challenge you before."

"Yeah, and nobody was there." Casey chimes in, "That's when I suggested that we come here to pass the time."

"Oopsie! Sorry, guys!" Gardenia replies. She looks embarrassed, a red tint quickly falling on her cheeks.

"All of you, stop changing the subject!"

They all turn back to Officer Jenny once again when she blows her whistle once again. It's evident that they're all getting on the police woman's last nerve.

"Okay, sorry! But I'm telling you Officer Jenny, Nando's no thief!"

"He's right, and besides, there were two thieves!"

Officer Jenny doesn't let their comments of disapproval deter her. She reaches into her pocket and withdraws a picture, which just so happens to depict Sunflora walking around with the Adamant Orb in its possession, much to everybody's surprise.

"What?! Sunflora?!"

Officer Jenny swiftly pockets the image, clearly satisfied with the evidence that she has in her possession, "I'm afraid this is all the evidence that I need."

"Objection!"

Everybody turns towards the entrance of the room when they hear another voice that some eerily familiar. At first the similar voice makes absolutely no sense to Casey, but it all makes sense when the person steps out from the crowd of people at the entranceway, revealing them self to be another Officer Jenny.

Casey almost does a double take as the second Officer Jenny approaches, dressed in informal clothes that signify that she's off duty. It sure is strange to see two Officer Jenny's in one place, as with two Nurse Joy's. You know that there's more of them out there, but you never really see two of them together. It just seems strange.

"There's more here than meets the eye. You see, all Sunflora trainers here need to be investigated, not just one of them."

"Just where are you from, anyway?" The first Officer Jenny asks, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the other.

"I'm the Officer Jenny from Viridian City. I thought I'd come visit since today's my day off."

 _Viridian City? Wow, it's been a while since I was last there!_

"You have no authority here, so please just keep your opinions to yourself!"

The Eterna City Officer Jenny clearly doesn't like anybody else being on her territory. The Viridian City simply laughs lightheartedly at her defensive nature, "Now, relax. There must be something that I can do to help you out."

"No, we're just fine. The museum has been secured, which means all possible suspects are locked inside. It's only a matter of time before we capture the thieves who stole the Adamant Orb." The Eterna City Officer Jenny replies bluntly, "Now, I need you all to leave the room immediately so we can conduct a formal investigation."

Casey and the others are reluctant to leave Nando with Officer Jenny, especially since they know that he's innocent, but they choose to comply as they don't want to cause a fuss. That's the last thing that they need right now. People are already panicked and confused, and adding fuel to the fire is just going to make everything far more difficult for everybody.

The six of them, the Officer Jenny from Viridian City included, head out of the main exhibition hall and through the gathering crowds at the doorway. Casey feels that some people are only at the entranceway just because they want to see what's going on, not because they actually care about the Adamant Orb. She reckons that at least half of them don't know that the orb is missing.

They eventually manage to reach the front exhibition hall of the museum, which is deserted thanks to all of the museum visitors being at the main exhibitor hall. They move to stand by the glass cabinet in the centre of the room, which contains some kind of model of a legendary Pokemon; the topic of conversation quickly drifts back to the issue at hand, being the Adamant Orb.

"Its been said that the Adamant Orb can magnify the power of the legendary Pokemon Dialga."

"Dialga?" Ash asks, bemusement apparent in his voice.

"Right." Dawn nods, "There was a huge statue of it in front of the museum, wasn't there?"

"Of course! I think my Grandpa told me a bit about Dialga and Palkia when I was a little kid. Dialga is the Ruler of Time, whilst Palkia is the Ruler of Space." Casey explains, the memories of the stories she heard as a child flooding back to her. A lot of the details are still fuzzy in her mind (she was probably not really paying attention half the time, honestly), but she does remember certain intricate details of her Grandfather's stories.

"According to legend, Dialga and Palkia formed the Sinnoh region long ago, and there are countless ancient shrines devoted to the two of them scattered all across Sinnoh." Gardenia says, "We know that the Adamant Orb was dug up from one of those shrines."

Casey's slightly taken aback by Gardenia's explanation. She figured that the Adamant Orb was important, but she hadn't really considered just how important it truly is. It's vital that they get it back from these thieves; the orb is an integral part of the history of Sinnoh's mythology.

"If the sphere's that important, then we have to get it back right now!"

They all agree with Dawn's statement, Ash mentioning how they need to clear Nando's name as well. They can't allow their friend to go down for a crime that he didn't commit. Casey decides not to waste any more time. She reaches for the four Pokeballs on her belt and throws them out in front of her, "Come on out, guys!"

Ash and Dawn mimic her actions and soon all of their Pokemon are out in front of them, all of them eager to help out with the search. Casey looks down at her own Pokemon in particular and gives them a confident smile, "You guys ready to do this?"

The Pokemon all cry out in approval and, with vigorous determination, set off in their separate directions to search the museum for the crooks who stole the Adamant Orb.

* * *

 _Still nothing!_

Casey closes the door to storage room with a frustrated sigh. She's been searching the museum for a good twenty minutes, and so far she's come up with nothing. Its just been storage room after storage room. It kinda reminds of her of searching through J's airship back when she and Ash were trying to save their Pokemon. The stakes sure feel as high as they did back then.

She really hopes that the others are having better luck than she is because, at this rate, the crooks might just get away with their heinous crime. Eterna City's Officer Jenny seems to have quite a short-temper as well, which means that it's only a matter of time before she snaps and officially convicts Nando for the crime. That's the worst case scenario, but at the minute it doesn't seem to be too far off from reality.

"Shellos! Shell!"

Casey stumbles slightly when she feels a sudden weight added to the top of her head; she knows instantly exactly what that weight is. She chuckles and lifts her hands up to her head, pulling Shellos down and holding the Sea Slug Pokemon at arms length, "What's up, Shellos?"

"Shell!"

"Mon! Monferno!"

Casey turns around when she hears Monferno call out to her from behind, surprised to find that Electabuzz and Dratini and following close behind the Playful Pokemon. They must've all regrouped at some point.

Casey places Shellos on her shoulder, much to the Sea Slug Pokemon's delight, and looks down at her other Pokemon with curiosity, "What's going on, guys?"

None of her Pokemon get the opportunity to respond, as moments later Ash, Dawn, Brock, Gardenia, Officer Jenny and all of their Pokemon come rushing past them, temporarily disorienting Casey and her Pokemon.

"Casey, come on!" Ash calls back to her, "I think Pikachu's found something!"

At first Casey stands there dazed, not entirely sure how to react. Electabuzz, Dratini and Monferno react much faster than she does and rush after the others, calling back to her as they go.

 _I guess we're following the others, then._

"Hey, guys! Wait for me!"

Casey runs at top speed as she tries to catch up with everybody else, Shellos trying her best to stay on Casey's shoulder the entire time. It can't be easy, especially considering how fast Casey's running, but the Sea Slug Pokemon manages to do it regardless. She's running at top speed, but her Pokemon and everybody else are still far ahead of her. They're so far ahead in fact that by the time Casey manages to catch up to them, they've all already managed to catch up to and unmask the crooks who stole the Adamant Orb. It's Team Rocket.

 _Why am I not surprised?_

"It's the other twerpette!"

Casey looks at Meowth incredulously. She still doesn't really understand why they refer to and the others as twerps. She's not that twerp-ish, is she? Regardless, she's quick to switch her attention back to what's important, being the Adamant Orb, "You three better give the Adamant Orb back right now!"

"No can do, twerpette!" James smirks, "We were generously commissioned by a fashionably dressed fan of Team Rocket's to steal it for his collection of rocks."

 _Commissioned? Who on Earth would commission them to steal the orb?_

"That's it! Don't let them get away!"

Casey's Pokemon, along with her friends Pokemon, circle around Team Rocket, trapping the three crooks in a circle. The only two Pokemon who don't surround Team Rocket are Croagunk and Shellos, the latter of the two opting to remain on Casey's shoulder. Its not as if they need anymore Pokemon to surround Team Rocket since they've got more than enough Pokemon blocking the crooks from escaping.

"Let them have their fun! This is mine!" Jessie reaches down and snatches the orb out of Meowth's hands, holding it high above her head and out of the reach of any of the Pokemon surrounding them, "Diamonds are a girls best friend!"

Casey glares over at Team Rocket. They've actually managed to outsmart them. They can't attack them otherwise the orb will be destroyed, but they can't let them get away with the orb either. There has to be a way that they can get the orb back safely.

"I wish we could call the Eterna City Jenny."

"You just did."

Casey's surprised, to say the least, when the Eterna City Officer Jenny comes rushing into the room alongside her Stunky. Talk about good timing. The Eterna City Jenny turns to the Viridian City Jenny and looks at her apologetically.

"I was completely wrong about you. I hope you'll forgive me."

The Viridian City Jenny nods back, which Casey takes as her accepting the other Jenny's apology. That's good. They're going to need to cooperate with each other if they want to get the orb back.

"One blast from you and there'll be nothing but powdered Adamant Orb all over this room!" James shouts, clearly taken aback and slightly intimidated by the arrival of the second police officer. It seems that their plans aren't going as well as they hoped.

"I don't think you've factored in my Stunky! Let's go!"

On Jenny's order, Stunky leans forward and kicks its hind legs up into the air, striking a similar posture as it did earlier that day. Its tail glows a vivid magenta and it flips around, flinging this glowing light right at Team Rocket. The light collides with their Wobuffet, who is stood at the front of the group, before fizzling out, cloaking the room in a thick, purple haze. A pungent aroma begins to waft around the room and soon enters Casey's airways, the pure repulsive odour of it making her cough involuntarily. She swiftly moves her hands up to her nose to prevent smelling anymore of the awful stench, everybody else in the room mimicking her actions.

"I'm throwing my hands up in disgust!"

Jessie suddenly throws her hands up into the air and launches the Adamant Orb high up into the air, everybody watching with wide eyes as it quickly descends.

 _It's going to smash into pieces!_

"Turtwig, use Leaf Storm!"

Casey watches in awe as Gardenia's Turtwig surges forward and launches its powerful Leaf Storm attack directly at the orb. It doesn't do any damage to the orb, it instead allows the orb to drift further up into the air upon a cyclone of leaves. This extra falling time gives Gardenia the chance to race towards the orb and safely catch in her hands, everybody letting out a collective sigh of relief as she does.

 _That sure was a close one!_

Casey looks down at Gardenia's Turtwig as it smiles up at its trainer with deep thought. That Leaf Storm attack really is powerful. She really will have to keep an eye out for it during her Gym Battle. She's going to need to come up with a strategy to counter it before then, for sure.

"Alright, give up! It's over!"

Casey looks back over at Team Rocket, almost smirking at the anxious expressions on their faces. They've got them now.

"Lets get out of here!"

The crooks turn around and make a dash for the exit door, Casey and the others quick to go chasing right after them. They can't let them get away with this. Trying to steal a Pokemon is one thing, but going for a priceless artefact is another matter entirely. It's almost their obligation to make Team Rocket pay for this crime. They've gone too far this time.

"They're gone!"

Casey's disgruntled to find upon exiting the museum that Team Rocket have managed to escape; the plethora of police officers outside the museum have somehow parted to the sides, granting the perfect pathway for Team Rocket to escape. Casey figures that it must've been the smell. That odour really was terrible. Whilst it's frustrating that the crooks have managed to get away from their crime scot-free, they did manage to get the Adamant Orb back in one piece, which is what truly matters at the end of the day.

Still, Casey can't help but wonder who exactly it was that requested for Team Rocket to steal the orb in the first place. Whoever they are, Casey has a feeling that they aren't exactly a good person. She supposes that she'll never find out the answer to that question.

But, then again, they are much worse things to worry about.


	9. Taking on Gym Leader Number 2

_Casey's disgruntled to find upon exiting the museum that Team Rocket have managed to escape; the plethora of police officers outside the museum have somehow parted to the sides, granting the perfect pathway for Team Rocket to escape. Casey figures that it must've been the smell. That odour really was terrible. Whilst it's frustrating that the crooks have managed to get away from their crime scot-free, they did manage to get the Adamant Orb back in one piece, which is what truly matters at the end of the day._

 _Still, Casey can't help but wonder who exactly it was that requested for Team Rocket to steal the orb in the first place. Whoever they are, Casey has a feeling that they aren't exactly a good person. She supposes that she'll never find out the answer to that question._

 _But, then again, they are much worse things to worry about._

* * *

Casey's eyes open slowly as she begins to stir awake; they quickly snap shut when she sees the bright morning light shining in through the glass window. She buries her face in her pillow, trying her best to block out the light. She doesn't want to wake up. She just wants to sleep. She's been so busy lately and its all been exhausting. Exciting, but exhausting. Just the other day she and her friends had to deal with Team Rocket and their futile attempts at stealing the priceless Adamant Orb, and then she went to watch Ash win his second badge just yesterday and then...wait.

 _My battle with Gardenia is today!_

With a newfound energy that Casey didn't even think was possible to achieve at such an early hour, she leaps out of her bed and onto the carpeted floor of the Pokemon Center room that she and her friends are currently staying in, cheering enthusiastically as positive energy surges through her, "It's time to get that second Gym Badge! I am _so_ fired up!"

"Whazz going on?"

Casey stops abruptly when she hears Dawn's sleepy voice from across the room. She looks to her left to see that Dawn and Brock are slowly stirring awake, looking at her bemusedly through their tired eyes.

"We should have breakfast soon, guys!" Casey says, "Don't forget, my battle with Gardenia is today, and I'm ready to give it all I've got!"

Dawn groans tiredly and reaches out for her Poketch, which is on the small table to the left of her bed. She switches the device on, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjust to the bright light of the screen before looking back to Casey, a rather annoyed expression on her face.

"It's 7:14 in the morning, Casey! The Gym isn't even open yet!"

A red tint crosses Casey's face. She smiles sheepishly over at her friends, "Oops! Sorry, guys! I didn't realise it was _that_ early! I'm sorry I woke you all up!"

"Pikachuz, use Ir-on Tai..."

Casey looks over at Ash oddly when he calls out sleepily. He's moving his arms around weakly, his movements similar to those he pulls in an intense battle, and is giving imaginary orders in a sluggish voice. He must be having a dream about a battle or something.

"Not all of us." Brock laughs, "I doubt that you'll be waking Ash up from this."

"D-dodge...Pikachuz! Go..."

Casey reckons that Brock's right about that.

* * *

Casey watches as the last few fiery orbs of Dratini's Draco Meteor attack rain down on the training field, the Dragon Pokemon getting in some last minute training with her most powerful attack. Meanwhile at the side of the field, Electabuzz and Monferno counter each other with powerful attacks, both of them blocking the other before sending an attack right back. It's the perfect cycle that allows them to practice both their offensive and defensive manoeuvres.

"Great work, you three! Keep it up!" Casey smiles. She turns around and glances over at Shellos, who is watching the others train from a nearby wooden bench, "Aren't they doing great, Shellos?"

"Shell..."

Casey looks at the Sea Slug Pokemon knowingly. She knows why it sounds so sad. She walks over to the bench and kneels down in front of Shellos and gives her a small smile, "I'm sorry, Shellos. I know that you want to battle, but the only move of yours that will cause considerable damage to Gardenia's Pokemon is Body Slam, and Grass-Type attacks are super effective on you. You'll battle next time, though. I promise."

Shellos still looks slightly crestfallen, but Casey's words have seemingly managed to pick up her spirits slightly. Casey reaches forward and picks up Shellos, placing the Sea Slug Pokemon on her shoulder before turning around and facing her other Pokemon, "Hey, guys! Come on over!"

Her Pokemon pause their intensive training sessions and rush over to Casey when they hear her shout. The three of them stand in front of her, waiting eagerly for what she has to say.

"Okay, you three. This is it. It's time to go for our second Gym Badge!" Casey says enthusiastically, her Pokemon responding with just as much eagerness, "Gardenia uses Grass-Type Pokemon, so I'll be counting on your Fire-Type attacks to help us gain the advantage, Monferno."

"Mon! Monferno!"

"And don't forget your blocking, Electabuzz. It's going to be really useful." Casey smiles over at the Electric Pokemon before finally directing her attention towards Dratini, "And your Draco Meteor is getting really strong, Dratini. It's going to be vital in the battle with Gardenia as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is, lets go out there and give it all we've got! Are you all with me?"

Her Pokemon all cry out determinedly, showing their dedication to their trainer and their willingness to battle.

"Alright, then!" Casey cheers, punching one of her fists through the air with gusto, "Then lets win this!"

* * *

"The Gym Battle between Casey from Pastoria City, and Gardenia, the Eterna Gym Leader, will now begin! Each side will have the use of three Pokemon, and the battle will be over when all of either sides Pokemon are unable to battle! In addition, only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon during the battle!"

"Are you ready to do this, Casey?" Gardenia asks.

Casey smirks. She's been ready for this for so long. She doesn't even need to think twice to answer the Gym Leaders question, "I'm ready!"

The referee at the side of the battlefield raises her arms before moving them back down again in one swift motion, "Then let the battle begin!"

Gardenia makes the first move. She reaches for one of the Pokeballs on her belt and tosses it out onto the battlefield, "Cherubi, lets go!"

Casey smirks as Cherubi appears on the battlefield.

 _Just what I thought._

"Alright, Dratini! Lets go!" Casey shouts as she throws her first Pokeball out onto the battlefield.

Dratini emerges from her Pokeball with an enthusiastic cry. The Dragon Pokemon quickly scans the battlefield for her opponent, locking her eyes onto Cherubi when she sees it. Both Pokemon stare at each other threateningly, clearly both trying to one up the other.

Casey decides to waste no more time and call her first attack, "Dratini, use Draco Meteor!"

Dratini's body glows a bright orange as it looks up to the sunny sky, a fiery orb forming at the front of her mouth. She fires the orb up into the sky, which then disperses into numerous other orbs, which rain down on the battlefield with intense ferocity. It's the perfect Draco Meteor attack.

"Quick, dodge it, Cherubi!"

Cherubi weaves in and out of the falling fiery orbs, running at top speed as it struggles to dodge the powerful attack. The orbs plummet into the ground continuously as Cherubi manages to outmanoeuvre each and every one. That's good. That's exactly what Casey wants.

Cherubi comes to a sudden stop when the last of the orbs smash into the ground, breathing heavily as it does so. All of that running sure has tired Cherubi out, which is exactly what Casey was going for.

"That sure is an impressive Draco Meteor attack, Casey, but don't forget about Cherubi's Chlorophyll ability." Gardenia says confidently, "As long as it's sunny, Cherubi's just going to keep dodging your attacks, and you can't win if you can't attack us."

 _She still has no idea._

"Cherubi, use Magical Leaf!"

"Dratini, counter with Dragon Rage!"

The two attacks collide in the middle and cancel each other out, causing a small explosion as they do. It's not too big of an explosion, but it seems to be enough to distract Gardenia momentarily. Casey wastes no time in striking back, especially considering how tired Cherubi's getting. This is the perfect time to strike.

"Dratini, use Draco Meteor again!"

Dratini fires off the attack for the second time, which sends another round of meteors plummeting towards the ground. Like the last time, Cherubi attempts to dodge the attack with its enhanced speed. However, unlike last time, Cherubi is rather tired, and as of such it doesn't manage to escape the attack this time around.

"Cherubi, no!"

Gardenia calls out in concern to her Pokemon when one of the fiery orbs hits it head on, making it cry out in pain and go flying back. As it struggles to stand up, a second orb smashes down on top of it, sending it flying back for the second time. The last of the orbs crash into the battlefield, but Casey's attention is fully focused on Cherubi.

She just hopes that her plan worked.

"Cherubi is unable to battle!" The referee points over in Casey's direction, "And so the winner is Dratini!"

It worked. In fact, it worked perfectly.

"That was awesome, Casey!" Ash cheers from the sidelines, Pikachu and Dawn cheering with him, "Keep it up!"

"Thanks, you guys! We will!" Casey replies with a smile. She really does appreciate all of their support. She turns and smiles over at Dratini next, giving the Dragon Pokemon congratulations where it's due, "That was excellent, Dratini. All of that training really paid off."

Dratini cries out victoriously in response whilst Gardenia returns Cherubi to its Pokeball, thanking it for its efforts in battle. Casey has to admit that Cherubi sure is a fast Pokemon, but speed can only go so far on its own.

"I have to admit, Casey, that sure was an interesting strategy. I didn't see that one coming." Gardenia compliments, reaching for the next Pokeball on her belt and holding it out in front of her, "But don't forget, you still have to defeat my next two Pokemon to win this!"

"Oh, I know. And I'm ready for it!"

Gardenia nods back. She throws her second Pokeball out onto the battlefield enthusiastically, "Roserade, let's go!"

Gardenia's second Pokemon emerges from its Pokeball in an elegant manner. It doesn't let out a battle cry; it instead speaks in a hushed voice and moves into a defensive stance. Casey expected this from Roserade. She saw it act the exact same way when watching Ash's battle yesterday, and, thanks to watching that battle, she knows exactly what to do next.

"Dratini, return!"

Gardenia seems shocked when Casey calls Dratini back to her Pokeball, but the young trainer keeps a calm expression the entire time. She has a counter strategy for Roserade, but it doesn't involve Dratini. It involves her next Pokemon instead.

"Electabuzz, get fired up!"

Gardenia's shock only seems to increase when Electabuzz emerges from his Pokeball. She probably wasn't expecting Casey to use an Electric-Type Pokemon considering Electric-Type moves don't have much of an effect on Grass-Type Pokemon. Thankfully, Casey isn't relying on Electabuzz's moves to win this round of the battle.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!"

"Dodge it, Roserade!"

Roserade dodges the electrifying bolt of lightning with ease as a smirk settles on Gardenia's face, clearly amused by Casey's choice of attack,"Using an Electric-Type attack, Casey? I assumed that a skilled trainer like yourself would know that Electric-Type attacks are practically useless against a Grass-Type Pokemon like Roserade."

Casey does know that, but she's not about to let Gardenia know that. As long as Gardenia thinks she doesn't know, Casey has the advantage. She needs Gardenia to become overconfident. Overconfidence can be a trainers fatal flaw in a Pokemon battle.

"Now, Roserade, use Weather Ball!"

 _This is it!_

Just as Casey suspected, Roserade holds its hands up in the air and generates an orange fiery orb, the type of the attack being fire due to the sunny weather. That's perfect. If it was raining then Casey's plan wouldn't work. She needs it to be a Fire-Type attack for her strategy to truly be effective.

Roserade releases its charged up attack and it goes hurtling towards Electabuzz, who stands there with a slight fearful look on his face. Casey understands why the Electric Pokemon is afraid but he doesn't need to be. She's already got it covered.

"Electabuzz, block it and deflect it right back!"

Electabuzz does just that. The Electric Pokemon braces himself as the fiery ball collides with his arms, the power of it only making him stagger back slightly. If it wasn't for all of the training that Casey and her Pokemon have put in on that defensive technique, then that attack would've overpowered Electabuzz for sure. Thankfully, and much to Gardenia's surprise, Electabuzz sends the Fire-Type attack flying back at Roserade with relative ease, engulfing the Bouquet Pokemon in super effective flames.

"Roserade, no!"

The flames eventually dissipate, giving everybody a clear view as to just how much damage the deflected attack has caused. Roserade looks considerably weaker. In fact, it looks as if it's on its last legs. That Weather Ball sure was powerful.

"That was great, Electabuzz!" Casey praises, "Keep it up!

Electabuzz grunts out a response but still keeps his eyes fixed on Roserade. That's good. She needs Electabuzz to remain focused. The battle isn't over just yet.

"My, my. You really are full of surprises, aren't you, Casey?" Gardenia compliments, "I thought that your first strategy was impressive, but this one sure does rival it."

Casey thanks Gardenia for her praise but doesn't let her guard drop. She needs to keep her focus on the battle and the battle alone. She also can't allow herself to be come too overconfident. She can't let her own faults bring her down, not when the battle's going so well.

"Roserade, use Flash!"

 _Oh, no!_

Roserade's body shines brightly suddenly; the intense light emitting from Roserade practically blinds Electabuzz, forcing the Electric Pokemon to snap his eyes shut in an attempt to block out any more light.

 _This is not good!_

Electabuzz, likely frustrated that he can't see what's going on, begins to fire off consecutive Thunderbolts in an attempt to hit Roserade, none of which actually hitting their target. Electabuzz is getting really wound up.

"Electabuzz, calm down! Snap out of it!"

"Now, Roserade, use Magical Leaf!"

Casey can only watch helplessly as numerous sharp, bright green leaves surge towards Electabuzz at a rapid pace, knocking the Electric Pokemon over when they hit him directly. After witnessing Roserade deal such a powerful attack, Casey knows exactly what she has to do. She reaches for Electabuzz's Pokeball on her belt with the intention of returning the injured Electric-Type to its capsule, but Gardenia makes her next move before she can even fully process what's going on.

"Roserade, use Weather Ball!"

"Electabuzz, re-!"

It's too late. Roserade's Weather Ball attack crashes into Electabuzz as he stumbles around the grassy battlefield in his already weakened state, the Fire-Type attack sealing his fate in the battle.

"Electabuzz is unable to battle! The winner is Roserade!"

Casey returns Electabuzz to his Pokeball and smiles down at his Pokemon sadly, "Sorry about that, Electabuzz. I should've called you back the moment Roserade used Flash. You put a great fight though, so now it's time for you to get some rest."

Casey places Electabuzz's Pokeball back onto her belt before moving to unclip her next, switching her gaze over to Roserade as she does. She knows exactly what moves Roserade can use, and she also knows that none of its moves can do any damage to a Pokemon who's moving underground. That's where her next strategy comes in.

"Monferno, get fired up!"

Monferno appears on the battlefield with a loud battle cry, thrusting his fists into the air as the flame on his tail flares confidently. Monferno's ready to go.

"A Fire-Type, huh? That's a good choice." Gardenia remarks.

"That's what I was going for."

Gardenia smirks, "Well, I can't wait to see just how strong your Monferno is, so give it all you've got!"

"Right!" Casey nods, calling out her next command determinedly, "Monferno, use Dig, let's go!"

Monferno obeys and burrows itself deep underground, tearing up some of the grass on the battlefield as it does. Gardenia seems caught off guard once again by Casey's choice of command, presumably because she knows that Ground-Type attacks aren't very effective against Grass-Type Pokemon. That would usually be a really important thing to consider, but Casey's not having Monferno use Dig as an attack. It's supposed to be a defensive manoeuvre.

"Be mindful of Monferno, Roserade! It could be anywhere!"

 _It's too late for that._

"Monferno, jump up and use Flamethrower!"

The ground cracks as Monferno leaps up from underneath it, coming into view behind where Roserade is stood. With the Bouquet Pokemon being caught off guard, Monferno wastes no time in attacking it, firing an intense Flamethrower attack right at it. The scorching flame fully engulfs Roserade and causes a great deal of damage to it, so much so that it falls to the ground before the flame's even extinguished.

"Roserade is unable to battle! The winner is Monferno!"

The Playful Pokemon rushes back over to his side of the battlefield chanting victoriously as Gardenia returns Roserade to its Pokeball, clearly pleased with the outcome of his battle against Roserade.

"That was great, pal!" Casey smiles, "Keep it up! Just one more Pokemon and that badge is ours!"

"Are you ready for my final Pokemon, Casey?"

Casey draws her attention away from Monferno and back over to Gardenia, who is holding her third and final Pokeball in her right hand. She looks slightly frustrated, but at the same time she still looks determined to win. Casey smiles at that. That's exactly how a Gym Leader, or anyone for that matter, should act during a battle. They should keep fighting until the very end.

"I'm ready! Give it all you've got!"

Gardenia nods. She throws her last Pokeball out onto the grassy battlefield, her Turtwig emerging from within it in a bright flash of light.

"Tur-twig! Turtwig!"

"You have the honours, Casey." Gardenia says, sticking with the tradition of the challenger getting to call the first attack.

"Alright, Monferno! Flame Wheel, let's go!"

Monferno's body cloaks itself in flames and he begins to somersault, charging up his fiery power as he does. He rolls towards Turtwig at top speed, but the Tiny Leaf Pokemon manages to dodge the attack before it can make a direct hit. Casey's not overly surprised at this. She knows that Turtwig is incredibly fast.

"Turtwig, use Tackle!"

"Quick, block it, Monferno and then use Dig!"

Turtwig rushes into Monferno, who instantly moves into his defensive stance to fend off the attack. He pushes his opponent away, though Turtwig manages to land comfortably on its feet and prevent itself from taking any damage from Monferno's retaliation.

"Mon! Monferno!"

Monferno burrows deep underground for the second time as Turtwig composes itself. Casey knows that there's no use in running at Turtwig with attacks. It'll just dodge them all with its incredible speed. The best thing she can do is stop Turtwig from being able to get away. At that point, Turtwig is practically defenceless.

"Nice try, Casey, but you can't use the same tactic against us twice and expect it to work!" Gardenia says with a confident smirk, "Keep an eye out for Monferno, Turtwig! It's going to jump up out of the ground and attack you!"

"That's where your wrong, Gardenia." Casey says. The confident smirk on Gardenia's face quickly fades away, a look of confusion there to replace it, "Monferno, circle around Turtwig underground and use Flamethrower!"

Casey watches in anticipation to see if her new tactic will work. Obviously she's had Monferno use Flamethrower underneath the ground in the past to heat up the battlefield (that's exactly what she did when she first battled Ash and Pikachu, after all), but she hasn't had much of a chance to see if this particular variation of the strategy works.

"Oh, no!"

Casey smirks when she sees a small flame begin to spark on a few blades of grass nearby Turtwig. Numerous other grass blades are set alight moments later and soon Turtwig becomes trapped in a rising circle of fire, preventing it from running anywhere outside the confines of the circle. That's perfect. It limits Turtwig's mobility, which just so happens to be its greatest strength.

 _Let's finish this!_

"Alright, Monferno! Jump out and use Flamethrower, and give it all you've got!"

Monferno jumps up just outside the circle of fire and looks down at Turtwig, firing its super effective Flamethrower attack right at it. Turtwig has no choice but to stand there as the attack hits it, its speed offering no help in the situation.

"Turtwig, no!"

Monferno lands comfortably on its feet just in front of Casey as the flaming circle around Turtwig begins to die down, giving everybody a clear view of the Tiny Leaf Pokemon's condition, and it's just what they were all expecting.

"Turtwig is unable to battle!" The referee declares, pointing her arm over in Casey's direction once again, "That means that Monferno is the winner and the victory goes to Casey of Pastoria City!"

"Yes!" Casey rushes over to Monferno, the Playful Pokemon jumping up into her awaiting arms. Casey spins around with Monferno in her arms, cheering victoriously as she does, "We did it! We did it! We did it!"

"Mon! Monferno!"

Casey hears Ash, Brock and Dawn offer their encouragement from the sidelines; she and Monferno glance over at them and thank them for their support. Their encouragement and support really does make the victory feel far more worthwhile.

"That really was something." Casey and Monferno look towards Gardenia as she speaks up. She walks over to them, clipping Turtwig's Pokeball to her belt as she does (she must've already returned Turtwig to its Pokeball), "You've trained your Pokemon well, Casey. They all fought amazingly, and for that I'm proud to be able to give you the Eterna City Gym Badge."

The referee walks over with a small case in hand, the Forest Badge situated comfortably in the middle of it. Gardenia thanks the referee as she extends the case out to Casey, smiling warmly over at her as she does, "Take it, Casey. You've earned it."

Casey reaches out and picks up the badge with her left hand, looking down at it with a broad smile on her face. She glances down at Monferno, who has jumped down from her arms and onto the slightly scorched battlefield, and her smile only grows.

 _We did it! We got our second badge!_


	10. Reuniting with Champions & Rivals Alike

**Hey, everybody! Sorry that I've been updating less frequently, but I've been rather busy recently and I will be for the next month or so. But, even though updates will be less frequent, I will still aim to update 1/2 times a week and I still fully enjoy writing this story, so don't worry! I'm not going to abandon it anytime soon, at least!**

 **Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews that you all left on the last chapter. Any questions I received were answered over PM, so please check your PM box and reply if you see the response. Thanks again!**

 **I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Please leave a review if you liked it! Have a nice day, everybody!**

* * *

 _The referee walks over with a small case in hand, the Forest Badge situated comfortably in the middle of it. Gardenia thanks the referee as she extends the case out to Casey, smiling warmly over at her as she does, "Take it, Casey. You've earned it."_

 _Casey reaches out and picks up the badge with her left hand, looking down at it with a broad smile on her face. She glances down at Monferno, who has jumped down from her arms and onto the slightly scorched battlefield, and her smile only grows._

 _We did it! We got our second badge!_

* * *

"Ca...! Come o...wa...up!"

Casey groans and rolls over in her bed, burying her face amongst her pillow to try and drown out the voice. She knows who it is, and of course she doesn't want to be rude to them, but she also wants to sleep. Everything's been so hectic lately, what with Brock's Pokemon Egg hatching into a Happiny, and then there was the scandal with the cruise ship just the other day and...well, everything's just been exhausting. Fun and exciting? Definitely, but exhausting all the same, which is why she tries to get some extra sleep when she can.

However, it seems like the person who's trying to wake her up doesn't exactly get the message, as they continue to persist in their attempts to wake her up.

That's it!

Casey sharply turns around and glares up at Ash, who is looking down at her eagerly along with Pikachu, who is perched on his shoulder as per usual, "What is it, Ash?! I'm trying to sleep!"

Ash looks slightly taken aback by Casey's harsh tone, but his excitement erases his hesitation rather quickly, "It's the Champion! She's at Amity Square!"

Maybe it's because she's groggy, but she doesn't fully process what Ash is saying. She responds nonchalantly, "That's great, Ash."

"Great? It's awesome!"

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu cries out in agreement.

"Dawn and Brock are already ready to go." Ash explains, "We're gonna go and see Cynthia, and we thought that you'd want to come along."

Casey appreciates that Ash and the others considered her when thinking about their plans, but all she can honestly think about is sleeping. Maybe she can get a few more minutes of sleep in and then catch up with them.

"I'll catch up with you guys." Casey says groggily, turning around and burying her head in her pillow once again, "Go on ahead. I won't be long."

Casey hears the door close after a few moments, signifying that Ash and Pikachu have left the room, likely their excitement becoming too much to wait around with any longer. Casey doesn't blame them. She was excited when she first met Cynthia, and she's excited to see the formidable trainer again, right after she gets a few more minutes of sleep...

* * *

 _Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!_

Casey rushes into the main lobby of the Pokemon Center hastily, still putting on her sneakers as she rushes towards the front door. She had only meant to sleep for another five minutes, but she knows for a fact that it's been longer than that. It's been around about forty five minutes to be precise, which is _really_ not good.

"Nurse Joy! Nurse Joy!"

Casey looks around, but Nurse Joy is nowhere to be seen. Casey figure that perhaps she has some kind of emergency to deal with so she doesn't blame her, but she could really use some guidance right about now. She actually doesn't have a clue where Amity Square. Usually if she doesn't know where she's going (or if Ash and Dawn don't know either), they can always just turn to Brock and his helpful travellers guide books. Oh, how Casey wishes she had one of those right about now.

"Casey?"

Casey turns around sharply when she hears her name being called, smiling when she sees that it's Dawn. That smile doesn't stay for long though, as the sudden movement combined with the fact that her leg is halfway up off of the ground as she is trying to put on her left sneaker cause her to stumble, crashing down onto the hard wooden floor of the Pokemon Center lobby with a loud thud.

"Ow!"

Dawn rushes over to Casey, looking down at her with concern as she groans in pain, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Casey replies as she moves to sit up, reaching for her left shoe and beginning to put it on as she talks to Dawn, "I was about to come and find you guys. Why aren't you at Amity Square?"

"We've already been."

Casey laces up her left sneaker before jumping up from the ground, looking at Dawn incredulously, "Please tell me that you're joking! You've got to be joking!"

"Sorry, Casey." Dawn says apologetically, "But the thing is, Cynthia's here."

"Cynthia's here?"

Dawn nods, "Right. She's treating Paul's Pokemon since Nurse Joy's dealing with an emergency."

Casey looks at Dawn cluelessly. She doesn't have a clue what's going on, who Paul is, or why his Pokemon are being treated. She only overslept by forty five minutes, so how could she have missed so much?! Dawn seems to understand how clueless Casey is as she is quick to lead her through the Pokemon Center and towards one of the recovery rooms in the back, which just so happens to be where everybody else is.

A boy with mid-length purple hair, clad in a purple and navy blue jacket and grey pants is stood at the side of the room, his head hanging low and his eyes shut. Casey assumes that this is Paul. He must be thinking about something. Casey next notices the Pokemon in the room, most of whom are lying on beds covered in numerous bandages. There's a Chimchar, Weavile and Murkrow as well as a Torterra, who is lying on the floor instead of a bed. Casey's not surprised at that. Torterra is the Continent Pokemon, after all. Its huge size is practically portrayed through its name.

"Hello, Casey." Cynthia crosses the room, smiling welcomingly over at Casey when she reaches the young trainer, "Its been a while. How are you?"

"Wait, the two of you know each other?" Ash says as he and Brock walk over, confusion written across both of their faces, "Have you met before?"

Casey nods, "Yeah. Back at the meadow. It was the day of Dawn's practice contest. That's why I was gone for so long. Cynthia was actually helping me with some training."

"No way! Why didn't you tell us?!"

Casey shrugs, "I didn't think that you guys would believe me."

That's no word of a lie. Casey didn't tell them because of that very reason. If she had heard it from one of them, she doubts that she would've believed it. Besides, she wasn't even sure if she'd run into the Champion again. Obviously she would've been honoured too, but back then she didn't know if it would happen. She's still rather shocked that it has to be honest.

"So, Casey, how are your Pokemon doing?" Cynthia asks.

"They're great, Cynthia! We've been working really hard on that defensive strategy and Elekid even evolved into Electabuzz! My Pokemon are totally awesome!"

"Hmph!" Casey's attention is drawn towards Paul when he makes a noise of amusement, his eyes opening up as he does so, "Just because a Pokemon's evolved, that doesn't mean that it's powerful."

 _This guy doesn't seem to care about making a good first impression._

As much as Paul's apparent rudeness frustrates Casey she decides to approach him in a more polite manner. She walks over to the purple-haired boy and switches the topic of conversation to his Pokemon instead of her own. Based on what she's seen of Paul so far, she suspects that he'll be more willing to talk about himself than others.

"What happened to your Pokemon?"

"They didn't try hard enough, that's what!"

Casey looks at him skeptically, "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?!" Paul snaps, "They didn't try hard enough and they lost! They couldn't do any damage to Garchomp! It was pathetic!"

 _This guy's insane! If your Pokemon lose in a battle you don't criticise them, you lose that loss to become stronger and learn!_

Casey wants to do nothing more than yell at Paul for how ludicrous he's being, but Ash beats her to it, clearly as fired up by Paul's behaviour as she is, "Until you got hit with that Giga Impact, I don't think you cared how many of your Pokemon took a fall!"

"Your point?"

"Come on! How do you think your Pokemon felt about that!" Ash shouts, his frustration growing by the second, "Don't you get it, Paul?! Winning that way is only a win for you!"

"Oh, give me a break! A win is a win!"

"No way! A win is only a real win when you get it along with your Pokemon! Why don't you care about your Pokemon?!"

"Cause then they'll get spoiled. Chimchar's the perfect example of exactly what I mean. A spoiled Pokemon who doesn't try hard enough."

Casey glances over at Paul's Chimchar as Ash continues to argue with Paul. The Chimp Pokemon is sleeping soundly on a bed, the flame on the back of its tail extinguished as it snores softly. Casey can't help but smile over at Chimchar. It reminds her of when she and her Grandfather first began to raise Monferno back when it was still a Chimchar. She's fond of those memories.

"You just keep doing things your way." Paul replies stoically, brushing off Ash's shouts as if they were nothing, "I'll become stronger anyway I choose."

"You want to get stronger?"

Ash and Paul abruptly stops arguing when Cynthia speaks up, the Champion's calm and collected voice ceasing Ash's retaliation instantly. Casey glances over at Cynthia herself, curious as to what the Champion has to say.

"If you do, there's something I want you to see."

* * *

Casey and the others stand silently behind Cynthia as she stares at the ruins before them. The Champion led them out of the Pokemon Center and over to Amity Square without much explanation, but the five young trainers followed her regardless. She is the Champion after all, and being the Champion does command a certain amount of respect.

"The words that are written here completely changed my life. Listen while I read them." Cynthia says, directing her attention to the text carved into one of the ruins, "'When every life meets another life, something will be born'."

 _What in the world does that mean?_

"When I was younger, I used to dream of nothing other than becoming powerful through being victorious in battle, and so I trained endlessly. Then I discovered that even the same types of Pokemon have unique personalities."

Casey considers Cynthia's words carefully. She knows for a fact that what the Champion is saying is true. She's met a plethora of Pokemon on her extensive travels, many of them being of the same species, and every single one of them has always been unique. Of course they've had similarities (they are all Pokemon, after all), but at the same time they've always had their differences. It sure is quite the feat to meet them all.

"It was at that moment I decided I wanted to get to know each and every one of them better. And then, after meeting more and more Pokemon, learning more of their ways, something completely new began to stir deep within my soul. I knew meeting new Pokemon was just like meeting new people." Cynthia turns around to face them all, speaking passionately as she does so, "I'm sure because of our meeting today, something powerful has been placed in each one of us. Something important. Something that will make us stronger in our own ways."

"Stronger in our own ways?"

"That's right." Cynthia nods, "My desire to learn about Pokemon has spawned a dream that someday I'll actually meet the legendary Dialga and Palkia. Then, perhaps Ill be able to travel back to the source and find the timeless origin of all Pokemon."

 _Travel back to the source and find the timeless origin of all Pokemon?_

Casey ponders on Cynthia's words once again, suddenly feeling drawn towards the ruins before her. She slowly walks forward and up to the ruin upon which the phrase is depicted and, not even fully aware of what's she's doing, reaches out to touch it. She can't explain it; she simply feels drawn to the ruins.

 _Argh!_

Casey suddenly feels a sharp sensation surge through her body, her eyes snapping shut as she winces in pain. It starts at her left hand, which is still upon the ruin in front of her, before spreading throughout the rest of her body. It's a painful sensation but, at the same time, it's giving her a sudden surge of power and energy. It's unlike anything she's ever experienced before.

"Hey, guys, something's go-."

Casey pauses abruptly when she opens her eyes, only to find that she's no longer in Amity Square. In fact, she has no idea where she is.

 _"What are your plans for the International Policeman?"_

She hears a unfamiliar feminine voice nearby. It sounds echoed, so she assumes that she's in quite a large space. She can't tell exactly where she is as its far too dark. The only source of light is coming from some kind of beacon-like machine in the distance. She can faintly make out a small red object in its beam of light, but she has no idea what it is. It's nothing like anything she's ever seen before.

 _"The boss has already informed me that he has his own special plans for him."_

She hears another voice, a male one. His voice is rough and has an eerie quality to it that sends a chill up her spine.

 _"Excellent! The boss's plan is finally coming full circle! Soon we'll have the ultimate power under our control!"_

She feels as if they must be close. Even if their voices are echoed, they just have to be nearby. That means that maybe she can find out who they are, and what exactly they're talking about. She already doesn't like the sound of it.

She's surprised to find that she can move her legs. She wastes no time in putting that fact to good use and begins to sprint at top speed for the source of light in the distance, which she presumes is the location of the voice. They sound as if they're coming from over there, and it makes the most sense to her if these people, whoever they are, are conversing in a space where they can actually see each other.

She runs and runs until she's breathless, the beacon of light still the same distance away as it was before she even started running. It's as if the beacon of light itself is running away from her. Casey tries to keep running, but she's practically stumbling at this point. All she can hear is a deranged, rough laugh in the distance; it sounds as if it's almost taunting her. She closes her eyes and covers up her ears, doing her best to block out the laughter as it gets louder and louder.

 _"Nothing will stand in our way!"_

Casey yells as her eyes snap open, relief instantly washing over her when she realises that she's back in Amity Square. She feels a hand on her left shoulder; she turns around to see that Ash, Brock and Dawn are looking at her with concern, the latter of the three being the one who has their hand on Casey's shoulder. Cynthia is looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and concern, whilst Paul looks like he couldn't care less. Casey's not surprised at that. Paul doesn't seem like the caring type.

"Casey, what happened?" Ash asks, confusion settling in across his face.

Casey brushes herself off hastily. She doesn't want to worry them all with what she saw. It was probably just...well, she honestly doesn't know what that was. It was almost like a vision, "It was nothing. I...I just remembered something."

"What did you remember?"

Now what do I say!?

"Food!" Casey replies quickly, going with the first thing that she can think of, "I haven't had any food yet! I skipped breakfast, I mean, and it's past lunch by now. How about we eat supper a bit early today? What do you say, Brock?"

"Uh...I suppose I could make someth-."

"Great!" Casey doesn't even let him finish his sentence before she turns around and begins to make her way out of Amity Square, everybody else following hesitantly behind her, "Let's go eat!"

* * *

Casey leans back against the tree she's sat by with a sigh, her thoughts trained on what happened back at Amity Square. After arriving back at the Pokemon Center and dealing with Team Rocket, who tried and failed to steal Paul's Chimchar, Brock headed off to prepare some food for everybody. Paul sulked off, but the grumpy trainer promised to stay at the Pokemon Center overnight for his Pokemon's sake upon Cynthia's request. Casey chose to head outside and give herself some space to think about what happened, using the excuse that she wanted to do some private special training to avoid anybody else following her. She honestly doesn't want to worry her friends about it all but, at the same time, she wants to consider exactly what _it_ could be.

She knows that she saw something. It was almost like a vision of some kind. She didn't recognise the place she was at nor the mysterious voices that she heard, but she knows that her vision sure wasn't about a good thing. The way those people were talking...it almost sounded as if they were conspiring against a policeman, and anybody who conspires against the law can't have good intentions.

She also felt a sudden surge of power and energy right before she experienced her vision that she still can't really explain. It was unlike anything she ever experienced before, and in those moments that she felt it, she felt as if she could overcome anything. The question is, what exactly was that sudden surge of power and what caused it to occur?

 _I hate this! What's wrong with me?!_

Casey picks up a small stone before standing up. She groans and throws the stone out in front of her, her anger and frustration making it quite the powerful throw. That would be great, if it wasn't for the fact that Cynthia is approaching, and just so happens to be walking right in the path of the speeding stone.

"Watch out!"

The Champion steps out of the path of the stone effortlessly, it whizzing past her without making any form of contact. Relief washes over Casey at this; the younger trainer is quick to apologize to the Champion for what could've been a disaster.

"Oh, it's fine." Cynthia replies graciously, not remotely bother by what just transpired, "I was just coming out here to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? You're leaving?"

Cynthia nods, "That's right. I'm heading over to Solaceon Town. They found the Lustrous Orb there. It's the partner orb to the Adamant Orb, and it's said to be linked to the ruler of space, Palkia."

Casey nods. That makes sense to her. If it has to do with Sinnoh's mythology and history, Cynthia's there. In fact, it would be strange if Cynthia didn't take interest in it.

"That sounds awesome, Cynthia. I hope you get there safely." Casey replies.

Cynthia smiles gratefully in response, "Thank you. Casey. I hope that we meet again soon."

Casey replies agreeably to what Cynthia's saying, although her thoughts aren't as focused on what the Champion is saying as they should be. She feels as if she's coming off as rude to the Champion (which she does not want to do under any circumstances), but she simply can't help it. She can't stop thinking about it.

Cynthia, as calm and understanding as ever, seems to notice Casey's distant demeanour and chooses to take her leave. She begins to walk away from the conflicted trainer, but not before turning around to talk to her one last time, "Talk to them, Casey. Talk to your friends. If something's wrong, you're better off telling them than trying to forget about it."

 _Does she know?_

Casey doesn't get the chance to ask that question as by the time she can fully process what Cynthia's trying to say, the Sinnoh League Champion is already long gone. Whilst Casey doesn't know why Cynthia said what she said, at least she understands what she's trying to say, and she's right. Casey really should tell her friends about what's going on.

She's sure that she'll tell them eventually, but she just doesn't know when that is. Until that time, she has more important things to focus on, such as her and Ash's upcoming battles for their third badges, and not to mention Dawn's upcoming Pokemon Comtests.

So whilst Casey doesn't understand what's going on, at least she has something driving her forwards and motivating her. And, really, that's all you need in times of doubt.


	11. The Return of a Pokemon Hunter

_She's sure that she'll tell them eventually, but she just doesn't know when that is. Until that time, she has more important things to focus on, such as her and Ash's upcoming battles for their third badges, and not to mention Dawn's upcoming Pokemon Comtests._

 _So whilst Casey doesn't understand what's going on, at least she has something driving her forwards and motivating her. And, really, that's all you need in times of doubt._

* * *

Casey sighs contently as she breathes in the fresh air of the land surrounding Mt Coronet, which just so happens to be the tallest and largest mountain in the entire Sinnoh region. They aren't travelling along the rocky range of the mountain, but are instead travelling through the forest not too far from the mountain itself. It's a rather peaceful setting; it's unspoiled by infrastructure, similar to a nature preserve in many ways.

They're currently on their way to Hearthome City. They recently met up with Zoey, who informed Dawn that the next Pokemon Contest is taking place there. There also just so happens to be a Gym in Hearthome City, so Hearthome City is the next best destination for all of them. Dawn can compete in her next Contest, whilst Casey and Ash can win their third Gym Badges.

"Who's that Pokemon?"

Casey rushes to catch up with Ash and the others when Ash calls out, having fallen behind the group when she got lost in her thoughts. When reaching them the first thing she notices is the Pokemon that's stood before them. It looks slightly afraid, but it's standing its ground instead of just running off.

Casey reaches into her pocket and points her Pokedex right at the mystery Pokemon, scanning its data into the high-tech device.

 _"Shieldon, the Shield Pokémon. The skin on its face is very hard, and it has a habit of polishing it by rubbing against trees."_

 _I've never seen a Shieldon before! It must be a rare Pokemon!_

Casey instinctively reaches for one of the Pokeballs on her belt. Shieldon's a rare Pokemon, which likely means that it's strong. She'd love to catch it or even just battle it. She suspects that it'll be a great experience.

Her plans fall short when a nearby tree suddenly tumbles down, shaking the grassy ground when it makes contact. Casey and her friends instantly look towards the fallen tree, watching in shock as a familiar transit vehicle drives over from behind it. It must've been what knocked the tree over.

A door towards the front of the vehicle opens up and a brawny man steps out of it, Casey and Ash instantly recognising who he works for based on what he's wearing. He works for Pokemon Hunter J which can't be good.

"They're probably after the Shieldon so they can sell it!" Dawn shouts, the anger evident in her voice. She hates Pokemon Hunter J and her men as much as Casey and the guys do.

"We can't let that happen!" Casey reaches for her belt once more and throws a Pokeball out in front of her determinedly, "Electabuzz, come on out and use Thunder Punch!"

"Golbat, Wing Attack!"

The goon throws his own Pokeball out in front of him, his Golbat emerging from it in a flash of bright light. Its wing glow brightly as it flies towards Electabuzz, but the Electric Pokemon easily out speeds the Bat Pokemon and slams his electrifying fist right into it. Golbat crashes into the forest floor, the sheer power of Electabuzz's Thunder Punch knocking it out in one hit.

"That was awesome, Electabuzz!" Casey praises her Pokemon as he lands comfortably on the ground, letting out a victorious cry as he does so. Casey smiles over at Electabuzz before directing her attention back towards Hunter J's goon, another stepping out of the vehicle to see what all of the commotion is about, "Now back off!"

The first goon returns Golbat to its Pokeball with a grumble, clearly not pleased with how everything's turning out for him. He places the Pokeball back on his belt before reaching for another, his comrade doing the same.

"I've had just about enough of you kids!"

As the goons prepare to send their next Pokemon out, a powerful bolt of lightning halts their attempts immediately, the power of it causing a small explosion that sends them flying.

 _That wasn't Electabuzz! Who did it?!_

"Shieldon! You're okay!"

Casey turns around as Ash rushes over to a boy who looks to be around their age. He's wearing a black shirt, purple pants and he has brown hair; he's kneeling down beside Shieldon alongside his Electivire, who must've been the one who fired that attack at J's goons. Ash has a brief conversation with the boy before he rushes off along with his Electivire, Shieldon and Ash both following quickly behind.

"Hey, wait up!"

Casey quickly returns Electabuzz to his Pokeball before turning and running after Ash, Dawn and Brock running alongside her. Casey is quick to question what's going on, "Brock, who is that guy? Does Ash know him?"

"That's right." Brock replies, his voice slightly staggered due to all of the running, "His name is Gary. He's from Pallet Town just like Ash and the two of them have been rivals since they were small."

 _Pallet Town, huh? Then what is he doing all the way out here?_

* * *

"That sure is interesting, Gary." Casey replies with a smile, "Pokemon Researching sounds totally awesome!"

Gary thanks Casey for her compliments as they continue to walk through the forest, now clear of J's goons. After catching up to Gary and Ash, Dawn and Casey were quickly introduced to Ash's old friend and rival. They learned, much to their surprise, that he's actually Professor Oak's grandson, which instantly made Dawn assume that he writes poetry (much to Gary's surprise). Still, Casey has to admit that it's pretty cool that Ash has so many friends from all over the world.

"Shield-on!"

Casey's surprised to see that there's three other Shieldon waiting in a small clearing just ahead of them. The Shieldon that they rescued from J's goons rushes over to the three other Shieldon, the four Shield Pokemon conversing happily.

"Oh, wow! There's a whole bunch of 'em!"

"It's the only place in the region Shieldon live." Gary explains, moving to sit on his knees and pulling his bag off his bag, reaching inside and grabbing a laptop as he talks, "This is an awesome place! Mt Coronet's unspoiled and pure, so the Shieldon feel super comfortable. I'm part of a project that's working to make this whole area a nature preserve to protect the Shieldon."

Gary scrolls through a few applications on before finding a video call application, placing a call through to somebody who they all recognise. It's Professor Rowan! The Pokemon Professor seems to be in some kind of vehicle, presumably travelling to a designated location to conduct some of his all important research.

"Yes, Gary? What is it?"

Gary takes this time to explain their current circumstances to the Professor, who is surprised to learn about the presence of J's goons, "What? Pokemon Hunters?"

"Yeah, and it's not safe at all. I'm taking these Shieldon and leaving."

"Alright then. We're already on our way and should get to you soon." Rowan explains as a map appears on Gary's laptop screen. Casey quickly scans the map, which seems to be of Mt Coronet, and takes note of a particular flashing spot a fair distance from where they are right now, "I suggest we meet at this location."

"Got it!" Gary replies before closing down his laptop, beginning to pack it away as he glances back at the Shieldon, "We better move soon."

"You'll let us help, won't you, Gary?" Ash asks hopefully, looking at his old friend and rival with a hopeful look.

"Thanks, Ash. It's a deal." Gary replies with a firm nod, "Now lets get going!"

* * *

"It's them again!"

Casey snaps out of her relaxed state when she suddenly hears Ash yell, pointing towards an approaching transit vehicle amongst the trees. It's been a relatively peaceful journey to the rendezvous point so far, but the sudden arrival of J's goons has changed that in an instant.

Casey instinctively reaches to her belt, poised and ready to send out one of her Pokemon to defend the Shieldon. There's no way that she's letting J steal them just to make a profit. Gary seems to get the same idea as her, as he reaches for his own Pokeball and throws it out in front of him as the vehicle continues to approach.

"Quick, Blastoise! Water Gun!"

Blastoise emerges from its Pokeball and carries out its trainers command, firing an intensive Water Gun attack directly at the approaching vehicle. It doesn't do much damage wise but it does manage to slow down the vehicle, if only for a few seconds.

 _Let's see what we can do!_

"Alright, Monferno!" Casey moves to throw Monferno's Pokeball out, glaring intensively over at the approaching vehicle as she does so, "Come on out and use Flamethrower!"

Monferno bursts out of his Pokeball and unleashes his fiery Flamthrower attack directly at the speeding vehicle. It's intense strength stops the vehicle abruptly, much to Casey's pride and Monferno's delight. His attacks sure are becoming powerful.

The vehicle door opens up once the vehicle has come to a complete stop, the same goon from before stepping out of it with a rather disgruntled expression on his face. He's clearly not happy with how everything's turning out for him.

"Enough of you kids!" He reaches for one of the Pokeball on his belt and throws it angrily, "Golbat, go!"

The goon's Golbat appears from its Pokeball once again and sends a powerful Air Cutter directly at Gary's Blastoise, the attack hitting the Shellfish Pokemon intensely and sending it down to the ground. Gary's quick to return Blastoise Pokeball, likely not wanting it to sustain further damage.

"If they want the Shieldon, then they have to go through all of us!" Ash yells.

The raven-haired trainer moves into a defensive stance beside Gary and Casey, the latter of the two mimicking his actions.

"That's right! We'll take down every single one of them!" Casey glances over at Monferno as the Playful Pokemon moves to stand beside her, "Ain't that right, pal?"

"Mon! Monferno!"

Casey smiles at her partner Pokemon's enthusiasm. Whilst she'd rather that they wouldn't have to deal without J's goons, she feels much more confident in doing so if Monferno's by her side. It's reassuring knowing that your Pokemon are by your side no matter what.

"Wait!" Casey's confidence instantly deflates like a popped balloon when Gary's sharp voice cuts over her own, his hand stretched out assertively including front of Ash and Casey, "We've gotta cool it or the Shieldon'll get hurt!"

"We can't just stand here and let them get to the Shieldon!" Casey replies angrily.

 _He's sure got some nerve! He wants us to just do nothing to help the Shieldon! He's out of his mind!_

Before Casey's can voice her protests to Gary's command, the young Pokemon Researcher sends out another one of his Pokemon out to defend them.

"Um-breon!"

 _An Umbreon, huh?_

Casey's half tempted to scan the Dark-Type Pokemon's data into her Pokédex, but she refrains from doing so as she knows that now's not the time for that. They have more important things to worry about.

"Umbreon, use Sand Attack!"

Umbreon kicks up a large quantity of sand in the direction of the goons Golbat, temporarily rendering the Bat Pokemon unable to see what's in front of it. Gary takes this time to order Umbreon to surge towards Golbat; the Bat Pokemon manages to brush off the sand and sends an Air Cutter attack directly at Umbreon.

"Umbreon, dodge it, quick!"

Umbreon dashes into a nearby bush as Golbat's attack speeds past it. At first nothing else occurs, which catches Casey off guard to say the least. If she were in Gary's position, she'd take this time to launch a counter attack.

 _What is he up to?_

Casey's question is soon answered when numerous Beedrill suddenly burst out from the shrubbery that Umbreon rushed into. The swarm of Beedrill instantly rush towards J's goons, likely making the assumption that they're the cause of all the ruckus.

"Umbreon, return!" Gary returns Umbreon to its Pokeball as it rushes out of the shrubbery before turning back to the others, a determined expression on his face, "Let's go!"

Casey has no objections with Gary's suggestion, and as of such follows the Pokemon Researcher without a second thought.

* * *

"They're everywhere!"

Casey sits back on the grass with a sigh. They managed to escape the goons that were in the transit vehicle thanks to that angered swarm of Beedrill, but J must've caught on to what they were doing, as soon numerous other goons blocked off the nearby area. They all managed to take cover behind some shrubbery, but now they're completely surrounded by J's goons with no easy way out.

"It looks like all possible escape routes have been blocked off." Brock remarks, peering over the shrubbery slightly to survey the area.

"Let's just fight our way out of it!" Ash shouts determinedly, reaching for one of the Pokeballs on his belt.

Casey mirrors his actions, knowing that Monferno will gladly give it everything he's got to protect the Shieldon, "I'm with you, Ash! Let's take them down one by one!"

"You two need to cool it!" Gary orders sternly, "It's that kind of recklessness that put those Shieldon in danger in the first place!"

"Take that back!" Casey glares at him murderously, "It's your job to care for the Shieldon, so don't try and blame us when things go wrong!"

"I'm not trying to blame anybody." Gary responds coolly, "But if we just go out there and attack we'll alert them to our location, which will only put the Shieldon in further danger."

"I'm afraid Gary's right." Dawn says, "If we to help the Shieldon, we need to remain calm and come up with a plan."

Casey groans inwardly and sits back, taking a moment to calm herself down. As much as she and Ash want to take down J's goons as soon as possible, they both know that Gary's right.

"Alright, fine." Casey sighs as she looks back to Gary, "What's your plan then, Gary?"

"We'll have to change our route and go around 'em all. There's a river to the north, and a deep valley farther to the south. It's gonna be really hard bringing all those Shieldon with us." Gary explains as he checks numerous routes on his laptop, looking back to the others with a troubled expression on his face, "We've got to find a way to get to Professor Rowan, but how?"

 _We need to safely transport the Shieldon to the Professor, huh? It's going to be difficult to get all of the Shieldon to follow us the entire way. They could easily stray off. Unless..._

"I've got it!"

* * *

"I just met up with a Officer Jenny. We'll be on our way there right away. Be careful."

Casey watches as Gary speaks to Professor Rowan over a video call via his laptop, advising him to be careful himself when travelling to meet them. They managed to reach the rendezvous point with ease thanks to Casey's suggestion...well, there was one incident where the Shieldon nearly fell off a cliff, but other than that her plan was a complete success. Now they've just got to wait for Professor Rowan and his associates to arrive and then they're home free.

"Just a little bit longer." Dawn says, the Shieldon all looking relieved at her declaration. This whole ordeal must be incredibly stressful for them, especially considering that they aren't used to dealing with such a commotion. They live in an unspoiled and untouched habitat after all.

"That was a great idea to use the rope, Casey." Gary says, looking up from his bag as he finishes packing up his laptop, "It sure worked a treat."

Casey smiles back at Gary. She's about to thank him for his compliment when she hears a loud, and regrettably familiar, roar that silences her response. It's J, and she's flying down to the ground atop her powerful Salamence, her regular greedy and malicious expression on her face.

"There's no escape!"

"Oh, so you're the big boss, huh?" Gary remarks, moving into a defensive stance as he glares up at J.

"How did you find us?"

That's what Casey would like to know as well. How in the world did J manage to find them all the way up in the mountains? It's hardly an easy terrain to search to say the least.

"Watching the movements of your friends!" J scoffs, "You're all so predictable!"

Her cocky and careless attitude angers Casey to no end. None of what she's doing phases her at all; Casey still can't understand why she chooses to be so cruel, or why anybody chooses to be cruel for that matter. She simply has to fight back, even if it's a reckless decision.

"Oh, yeah? Predict this!" Casey shouts. She reaches to her belt and grabs one of her Pokeballs, throwing it out in front of her with a fiery determination, "Monferno, come on out and use Flame Wheel!"

"Drapion, Cross Poison!"

Monferno bursts out of his Pokeball and instantly spins towards Drapion with great speed, flames igniting around him as he approaches his opponent. Drapion attempts to counter with its Cross Poison attack as J ordered, but Monferno easily powers through it and knocks Drapion back with an incredibly powerful Flame Wheel.

Monferno lands back in front of Casey with a victorious cry as Drapion pushes itself up off of the ground, albeit just barely. Monferno sure used a lot of his power in that attack.

"You ready to give up, J?" Casey calls over to the crook confidently, "I think it's time that you back off and leave the Shieldon alone!"

"Casey's right!" Ash chimes in as he and Pikachu move to stand beside Casey, looking just as determined as she does, "This time we're putting an end to all your bad stuff! No mercy!"

"You don't know no mercy!"

 _She just won't quit! What's wrong with this woman?!_

"Drapion, Pin Missle, and Salamence, Hyper Beam!"

J's Pokemon begin to charge up their powerful attacks; Gary suddenly steps out alongside his Blastoise. Casey can't help but wonder where Dawn, Brock and the Shieldon have gotten to, but she assumes that Gary tasked Brock and Dawn with getting the Shieldon to safety. That would be the most logical option, anyway. The safety of the Shieldon is their priority, after all.

"Now, Blastoise! Hydro Pump!"

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Casey decides to follow Gary and Ash's actions and orders Monferno to counter J's attack with Flamethrower, combining his power with that of Blastoise's and Pikachu's. Their attacks combine and collide with that of J's Drapion and Salamence but, despite the power of the tri-type attack, J's attack manages to overpower their's. Casey and Monferno, being at the edge of the group, manage to jump out of the way of the forthcoming attack, though Ash, Gary and their Pokemon aren't so lucky, and end up getting hit directly and sent flying back.

"No! Ash! Gary!"

Casey looks back at where she and her friends were once stood with grave concern; she quickly turns back towards J when she hears her blaster sound suddenly. She finds that one of the Shieldon have been turned to stone and is already being moved into one of the storage containers much to J's delight.

 _How did that Shieldon even get there?!_

As much as Casey wants an answer to that question, she knows that right now she hasn't got the time to wait for that answer. A transit vehicle's arrived to collect the Shieldon, and J looks ready to fly away from the scene with her Drapion, likely to go and meet the client who she is collecting the Shieldon for.

 _I can't let her get away!_

Maybe it's her anger or the adrenaline, or perhaps it's her hatred for the Pokemon Hunter, but Casey finds herself rushing towards Salamence as it begins to fly away. Monferno, as loyal as ever, follows after Casey without hesitation and the two of them just about manage to jump up onto Salamence's back as it soars up into the air. Both of them are instantly taken aback by the force of the wind from such a high altitude, but are quick to gain their footing atop the colossal Dragon Pokemon.

"Alright, J! Enough is enough!" Casey yells over the howling wind, "Stop all of this right now!"

J and her Drapion turn around when they hear Casey shout, though the trainer can't tell if the former of the two is surprised or not due to her glasses. She can however see Drapion's reaction to her presence, and the Ogre Scorpion Pokemon looks far from pleased to say the least.

"You little brat! Don't you know when to keep your nose out of other peoples business?!"

The corner of Casey's mouth quirks up, "I don't know, J. I think the main question is, don't you know how to have a good fashion sense? Seriously, those glasses aren't doing you any favours."

Casey can't exactly see due to her glasses, but Casey has a feeling that J is glaring intensely back at her. From what she's seen, the Pokemon Hunter seems to have a short temper, so Casey's comment likely set her off.

"I will deal with you myself, you insolent fool!" J seethes, "Drapion, use Cross Poison!"

 _I was hoping for a more peaceful solution, but I guess not._

"Monferno, counter with Mach Punch!"

Monferno's fist glows brightly as he closes the short distance between himself and Drapion, who is raising its pincers high above its head ready to attack. The two attacks collide in a flash of bright light; the intense force of the collision sends both Pokemon staggering back. They seem to be equally matched.

"Use Poison Sting!"

"Use Flamethrower!"

Drapion opens its mouth and fires numerous purple stingers directly at Monferno, but the Playful Pokemon is quick to counter with his Flamethrower attack. The hot ray of orange and red fire completely disintegrates the small poisonous stingers and continues to rush towards Drapion, hitting the Ogre Scorpion directly and rendering it unable to battle.

"Great job, Monferno!" Casey praises her partner Pokemon as he lands in front of her before glancing back at J, who is reluctantly returning Drapion to its Pokeball, "You ready to give up yet?"

Casey almost half expects J to just admit defeat right then and there, but of course nothing in life is that easy. Instead of giving up, J reaches for another Pokeball and sends out yet another Pokemon, which just so happens to be her Ariados. Casey hasn't seen too much of J's Ariados in battle, but she does know one thing that she and Monferno need to keep an eye on with the Long Leg Pokemon.

"Watch out for Ariados's String Shot, Monferno!"

Monferno braces himself for Ariados' known attack in response, moving into a stance that would allow him to use Flamethrower without a moments notice if need be. That's good. Monferno's Flamethrower would disintegrate the String Shot before it could even get close to him.

"Ariados, use Psychic."

 _Oh, no._

Before she can even fully react, Casey feels her entire body go rigid. She loses all control of her body from the neck down as she feels herself being lifted up into the air, much to her absolute terror. She turns her head, being the only part of her body that she can actually move, and glances over at Monferno, who's yelling angrily at J as he seemingly struggles to break free. Casey can't really tell. It's hard too when who you're watching can't express them self through movement.

"Ariados, dispose of them."

Before Casey an even glance back at J she regains the ability to control her body, but with that privilege comes a price. Without any form of warning she plummets down from her current high altitude directly towards the hard ground approaching by the second, both her and Monferno yelling frantically as they plummet to their doom.

"Monferno!"

Usually this would be the time where Casey would think logically and at least attempt to return Monferno to his Pokeball so that her partner Pokemon can avoid harm, but she seems to lose all of her logical thinking as the ground gets closer and closer. She instead reaches out to Monferno and just barely manages to grab onto the panicked Fire and Fighting-Type; she pulls Monferno towards herself and curls her body in as they both continue to fall, doing her best to shield her partner Pokemon from the approaching ground.

As Casey continues to fall towards the ground, her life surprisingly doesn't flash before her eyes like the cliche says. Instead, all of the unanswered questions that she's ever had rush to her mind. From the small insignificant ones to those that are constantly on her mind, they all cross her mind in those few moments; the answers to those questions seem all but impossible to obtain at this point.

"Geot-to!"

Casey's initially confused beyond belief when she comes to an abrupt stop, but she sure is grateful for it, especially considering how close to the ground she is. A few more seconds and that would've been it.

"Casey!"

Casey begins to gain a full of awareness of what's going on when she hears a very familiar voice call out her name. At this point she can already feel her feet touching down on the ground, and with that she lets out a much needed sigh of relief. Numerous people quickly rush towards her, Brock, Dawn and Officer Jenny included in that group.

"Are you okay?" Dawn asks, concern etched across her entire face.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine." Casey says shakily. She looks down at Monferno, who she is still holding tightly in her arms, "Are you okay, pal?"

Monferno nods, jumping out of her arms and standing firmly on the ground, clearly happy that he's now safe and sound. His reaction cheers Casey up slightly, though her thoughts are still drawn back to one person in particular.

"J! We've got to go after her!" She exclaims suddenly, looking over at Officer Jenny with wide eyes, "She's got one of the Shieldon! We've got to stop her!"

"We know, Casey." Officer Jenny replies calmly, "Professor Rowan and his research team are waiting at the rendezvous point for when we get the Shieldon back. She won't be getting far, I promise."

Relief rushes through Casey once again at Officer Jenny's words, though she's still rather confused about just one more thing, "Uh, how am I alive exactly?"

"You've got Pidgeot to thank for that." Officer Jenny says, nodding her head towards the space just behind where Casey is stood, "It swooped in an saved you at the last second."

Casey turns around and looks over at Pidgeot, noticing the Bird Pokemon for the first time right then and there. It's kinda hard to miss such a large Flying-Type, but Casey still managed to do so nonetheless.

"Hey, thanks a lot Pidgeot! You really saved us there!"

Pidgeot coos thankfully, clearly glad that it's receiving praise for its efforts. Still, as grateful as Casey (and no doubt Monferno) are about being saved, the former of the two still can't stop thinking about J and her callous actions. The Pokemon Hunter mercilessly sent the two of them quite literally plummeting towards their deaths, and all because they got in the way of her making a profit. She can't quite comprehend why, or even how, a person can do such a thing.

 _She's inhumane!_

* * *

Casey groans as she sits back on the grass. They managed to regroup with Ash, Gary and Professor Rowan's research team, where they soon learnt that Ash and Gary managed to sneak onto J's ship and save the Shieldon that she stole. Everybody, including Casey, were delighted to here that all of the Shieldon are now safe and sound, but that delight soon turn to frustration for Casey when she discovered that J and her goons got away from the scene before Officer Jenny could arrest any of them.

In other words, J got away with her crimes for the second time, which only adds to Casey's disdain for the woman.

Now, as her friends converse with Officer Jenny, Professor Rowan and Gary, Casey's sat away from the group, trying not to let her anger get the best of her as she thinks about everything that's happened.

 _How could she have gotten away?! If somebody doesn't catch her, she'll just hurting more and more people and Pokemon! It's just not right!_

"Casey." She turns towards the group when Brock calls over to her, "We're going to head off now. Are you coming?"

"Yeah. Just give me a second."

Casey stands up from the grass and begins to walk back towards the group, doing her best to plaster a smile onto her face. There's no need to stress out and worry everybody else just because she's frustrated. Still, she can't help but be agitated that J got away for the second time now, and that's just what she knows of. Who knows how many other crimes the nefarious Pokemon Hunter has committed?

Casey just hopes that she can one day stop her once and for all.


	12. Taking on the Tag Battle Challenge

_Casey stands up from the grass and begins to walk back towards the group, doing her best to plaster a smile onto her face. There's no need to stress out and worry everybody else just because she's frustrated. Still, she can't help but be agitated that J got away for the second time now, and that's just what she knows of. Who knows how many other crimes the nefarious Pokemon Hunter has committed?_

 _Casey just hopes that she can one day stop her once and for all._

* * *

"This is gonna be totally awesome! I can't wait to get into some battles!" Casey cheers, picking up the pace slightly as the stadium comes into view, "I'm ready to win it all!"

"You sure are excited about this competition, aren't you?"

Brock's remark is spot on. Casey, along with her friends, is currently heading towards the stadium holding the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition. The group recently arrived in Hearthome City and were quick to discover, much to Ash and Casey's dismay, that the Gym Leader had left to go on a journey, simply leaving behind a note to inform trainers of that fact. Needless to say that both Ash and Casey were incredibly disappointed, but some good news did come out of the bad situation. Nando, who just so happened to be at the Hearthome City Gym in the hopes of challenging the absent Gym Leader, informed them all about the Hearthome Tag Battle Competition.

He explained that the competition was set to commence soon after the Hearthome City Pokemon Contest, which both he and Dawn were set to compete in. Dawn ended up getting knocked out right after the Appeals Round and was rather upset about it, but Zoey (who also competed in the Contest) talked to her and managed to dispel some of her sadness, even if just a small amount of it. She actually suggested to Ash, Casey and Brock to enter Dawn into the tag battle competition in the hopes that it would lift up her spirits after her Contest loss. They all agreed that it was a smart idea.

Now the group are heading for the Hearthome Stadium to compete in the tag battle competition, and Casey is fully prepared to give it all she's got.

"I sure am, Brock!" Casey glances over at her Pokemon Breeder friend with a broad smile, "Its been a while since I've battled in a stadium, so it'll be cool to experience the atmosphere again."

"The atmosphere?" Dawn asks, confusion written across her face.

"Right. There's this certain exhilarated feeling you get when your battling in a stadium. I haven't felt it since I competed in the Indigo Conference a while back."

"The Indigo Conference, huh?" Ash remarks, looking at Casey with innate interest. That doesn't surprise Casey. Anything to do with Pokemon Battles seems to interest Ash, "I competed there a while back, too. How did you do?"

"I got to the finals."

"Wow!" Dawn gasps, clearly impressed by Casey's declaration, "That's incredible, Casey!"

Casey smiles awkwardly at Dawn. She's never been all that good at accepting compliments, "Thanks, but I lost in the final round. Both me and my opponent were down to our final Pokemon, and it ended up being my Jolteon against her Golem. Jolteon put up a good fight, but we didn't stand a chance in the end."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Casey."

"I know just how you feel. I've entered plenty of leagues and tried my absolute best to win them, but I've fallen short in most of them." Ash says, a determined expression suddenly crossing his face. "But that's why I keep traveling around! I want to become even stronger so that I can one day become a Pokemon Master!"

Casey smiles over at Ash. If there's one thing you can always count on, its Ash unwavering spirit and passion as a Pokemon Trainer. Casey has to admit that it constantly inspires her to become even stronger.

"Are you guys ready to head on in?"

Casey looks around, surprised to find that they've reached the entrance to the stadium. She was so wrapped up in her conversation that she didn't even realise where she was. Still, now that she does know where she is, she is more than ready to head inside and compete.

"Yeah!" Casey cheers enthusiastically, "Let's do this!"

* * *

"Welcome Tag Battle Trainers to Hearthome City!"

The entire stadium seems to shake as the crowd cheers deafeningly loud, expressing their excitement for the tag battle competition that they are about to witness. Casey sure was right about that stadium atmosphere. It feels just like the Pokemon League from where she and her friends are standing, what with the thousands of Pokemon fans watching them excitedly from their seats. Casey's missed the rush of adrenaline and motivation she gets from being in such an environment.

"As you may know, our warm and kind Hearthome City is known as the city where hearts meet, and with this tag battle, those hearts include Pokemon's and peoples alike!"

Casey looks back over at the announcer, who is stood in a stand high above the battlefield in the middle of the stadium. Apparently his name his Enta, and he just so happens to be the Mayor of Hearthome City. Casey thinks that it's rather cool that he's the announcer of the event, especially considering that he's such an important part of the city. It really helps to distinguish the event as something unique to Hearthome City.

"Pokemon to Pokemon, and person to person! Bringing them all together is what this tag battle is all about! And so, for the next three days, this stadium will burn with that spirit!"

 _Fighting spirit is just what I plan on bringing to this competition! My Pokemon and I are going to give it all that we've got!_

"So now, I want you to make sure that you have your registration cards!"

Casey and the others take this time to look down at their registration cards. Casey's still not entirely sure what it's for, but what she does know for sure is what number's on it. Hers has the number twenty four written upon it for some reason. She looks up from her card and back to Enta, noticing the fact that the large flat-screen behind him as flickered on, showing a matchup table similar to those used in regular battle competitions.

"On this screen, you'll find everyone's card number listed! Look for your number, and the one that's listed next to it! This will be your tag team partner throughout the competition!" Enta explains, reaching out to press a large red button situated just in front of him, "Alright then, time to see who's with who!"

As soon as Enta presses the button each of the individual squares on the matchup table begin to fill up with numbers, one number to each box respectively. Dawn's number appears first, showing her to be paired up with number nine in the A Block. Casey's number appears shortly afterwards, placing her in the C Block alongside number ten.

"Now, using this as a guide, find your tag team partner!"

Casey glances back over at her friends, bidding them goodbye before heading off to find her tag team partner. She holds up her card as she walks around the stadium, calling out for her partner as she walks amongst the numerous other trainers competing.

"Number ten! I'm looking for number ten!"

She continues to walk around the stadium in search of her partner, though she begins to grow worried when all of the other teams begin to pair up and she still hasn't seen her partner.

 _Where in the world is number ten?_

She decides to take some initiative and ask around. It couldn't hurt, after all. She walks over to one of the teams who have already paired up and tries to find an answer to the question burning in her mind.

"Excuse me." She says politely, "Have either of you seen number ten? They're supposed to be my partner but I can't seem to find them anywhere."

"Oh, yeah. I've seem him." The boy in the team replies gruffly. He has quite the muscular physique, so his rough voice doesn't overly surprise Casey. He turns and points to one of the side walls of the battlefield area, where a boy is sat alone rather timidly, "He's over there. He's the mayors nephew, actually."

 _The mayors nephew, huh?_

Casey thanks the muscular trainer for his help before departing, heading straight for the boy sat at the side of the battlefield. She's eager to meet him as she's walking over to him, but she suddenly becomes hesitant when she actually reaches him.

He's sat there with his shoulders hunched over, almost as if he's trying to hide himself from the world around him. His eyes are trained on the ground and he's twiddling his thumbs around rather frantically. He's nervous about something, that's for sure.

Casey figures that she might as well introduce herself.

"Uh...hi. Apparently you're number ten."

He doesn't respond, which only makes the situation more awkward. She coughs awkwardly, trying her best to come up with something that can salvage at least some of the conversation.

"So, yeah." She mumbles uneasily, "I guess we're a team."

This time around the boy does choose to respond, but it's in a way that Casey definitely wasn't expecting. The boy suddenly bursts out crying, and Casey has absolutely no idea how to deal with it.

"Ah! I'm sorry! Wh-what did I say?!" Casey shouts, stumbling over her words as she tries to piece together an apology, "I-I didn't mean to upset you!"

Enta starts speaking again, but Casey doesn't really pay attention to it. She's too focused on the boy in front of her, who's now wiping his eyes and looking up at her for the first time with tearful eyes.

"I-I'm sorry!" He sobs, "I-I di-didn't even want t-to en-enter this c-competiton! I-I'm go-going to make u-us lose!"

Casey looks at the boy sympathetically. He really has no self esteem whatsoever, "What makes you think that's gonna happen?"

"I-I can't b-battle!" He cries, his sobs reducing slightly the more that he talks, "M-my Pokemon don't listen to m-me! W-We're going to l-lose and it's all m-my fault!"

Casey sighs. At this rate, there's no way that this boy will be able to battle. He needs to find his confidence otherwise he'll just break down on the battlefield. He says that his Pokemon don't listen to him, but there must be a reason for that. If Casey can figure that out, then the rest of it should be relatively smooth sailing.

"What's your name?"

"Duncan." He mumbles, still wiping the falling tears away from his eyes.

Casey nods, moving down to sit beside Duncan on the ground. She extends her hand out to him, "I'm Casey."

Duncan reaches out, albeit hesitantly, and shakes Casey's hand. Casey smiles warmly back at him, "Now, why don't you and I show everybody at this competition just how strong we are?"

Duncan still looks hesitant about the entire situation, but Casey seemingly has managed to get through to him at least somewhat, as he musters up a smile and nods.

"Okay. Let's do it."

* * *

Casey leads Duncan out onto a training field around the back of stadium. They've still got a while until their battle, so now's the perfect time to come up with some strategies. They're going to need them for this competition. They have to be able to battle skilfully whilst being in sync if they stand any chance of winning this competition.

They come to a stop in the middle of the training field and Casey turns to Duncan, who still looks rather timid and reclusive. She hasn't quite figured out why he acts in such a fretful way, but she does know that his uncle suggested the competition to his parents, who practically made him enter. Apparently they figured that it would boost his self esteem or something. Casey's not entirely sure.

"Okay, Duncan. We've got a couple of hours until our first battle, so why don't we select our Pokemon and come up with some strategies that compliment them both?"

"I told you, Casey! My Pokemon don't listen to me!" He sighs miserably, "I'm useless!"

"Nobody is useless, Duncan. Now, come on, send out your Pokemon. I'm sure that we can figure out why they don't listen you if we just think about it."

Duncan still looks reluctant, but he relents and reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out two minimized Pokeballs. He enlarges them and throws them out in front of him, albeit weakly, and his two Pokemon emerge from their Pokeballs, Casey shocked when she realises just what types of Pokemon they are.

He's got a Tyranitar and a Pidgeot!

Casey can't resist the urge to scan the two Pokemon into her Pokedex. She hasn't recorded the data of either one since receiving her Sinnoh Pokedex. She aims the device at Tyranitar first.

 _Tyranitar, the Armor Pokémon. Tyranitar has a heavily armored body that can withstand powerful attacks and is able to crush a mountain with one hand._

She directs her Pokedex at Pidgeot next, scanning its data into the device right away.

 _Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon. The evolved form of Pidgeotto. It can fly at twice the speed of sound at an altitude of nearly one mile._

"Duncan, you've got some powerful Pokemon!" Casey gasps, turning back to the boy with surprise written across her face, "Did you raise them yourself?"

"They were my brothers Pokemon."

"Your brothers?"

He nods, "My brother's in the Kalos region right now taking a break and just sightseeing instead of training, so he left me some of his Pokemon to start my own journey with. The problem is, they don't listen to me."

 _Kalos, huh? I've never heard of it. I'll have to visit it someday._

"I tell them to attack but they just don't!" He groans, "It's just hopeless!"

"Alright, so what moves can they use?"

"I don't know."

Casey's eyes go wide as she looks at Duncan incredulously, "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I never asked my brother what moves they can use. I sorta just figured that if I told them to attack, they just would." Duncan shrugs halfheartedly, a sheepish expression crossing his face, "I suppose I didn't really think it through at the time."

Casey looks at Duncan pitifully. He's spent so long thinking that he's an awful Pokemon trainer, but he's really just been uninformed the entire time. If he can just understand his Pokemon a bit more, the rest should be smooth sailing. Luckily, Casey has just the thing to help out with that.

She points her Pokedex back at Tyranitar again, much to Duncan's confusion, "What are you doing?"

 _Rock Slide, Crunch, Thrash, Dark Pulse._

She makes a mental note of the moves that Tyranitar knows before pointing her Pokedex at Pidgeot, scanning it once again to learn its moves as well.

 _Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Protect, Double Team_

Pidgeot's move set is seemingly more geared to a more tactical battling style than Tyranitar's moves, which seem to be geared more towards physical power than anything else. Based on his Pokemon alone, Casey has the feeling that Duncan's brother is quite the skilled trainer who can utilise a variety of strategies.

She turns back to Duncan and holds her Pokedex out to him, "Their moves are scanned onto here. Now that we know that, I'm sure that we can come up with a strategy."

 _I hope so, anyway._

She pushes her negative thoughts to the back of her mind and looks at Duncan with a confident smile, "So, what do you say? Are you ready to do this?"

Duncan still looks skeptical, but Casey's quickly learned to accept that her new friend always looks that way; he nods back and smiles slightly.

"I'm ready."

* * *

"Who's ready for our first match in the C Block!?"

The stands erupt into cheers at Enta's declaration, Casey wincing slightly at the sudden addition of ear-splitting noise. That wince is soon replaced by a smile though. This is the exact atmosphere that she's missed for so long. The cheers from the crowd are making her all the more eager to battle.

Dawn's already had her first round battle and came out of it victorious along with her tag battle partner, Conway. He seems to be a bit odd, but he has diverse strategies to spare. Combining his strategies with Dawn's contest moves secured their victory easily. Brock and his partner Holly, as well as Ash and his partner Paul (Casey was surprised when she learnt that the two of them had been paired up) are yet to have their battles, but theirs should be commencing not long after her's and Duncan's.

As the crowds cheers begin to die down, Enta wastes no time in reiterating the rules of the competition, just in case anybody missed them.

"Each trainer is allowed to use one Pokemon with no time limit! There will be no substitutions! Whichever team ends up unable to battle is eliminated from the competition! Then, tomorrow, the winners will proceed to the second round battles!" He explains, everybody watching him eagerly as he does, "Our next battle is the first in the C Block! All eyes on the battle field!"

 _That's our cue._

Casey and Duncan both reach for their respective Pokeballs, having already decided just what Pokemon they're going to use, but their opponents beat them too it. The first of their opponents, a girl who looks to be around their age, sends her Pokemon out first.

"Lombre, lets go!"

The girls Lombre appears on the battlefield. Despite its rather stoic facial expression, Casey decides that it's best not to underestimate the dual Water and Grass-Type. She can't afford to if they want to win this, after all.

"Vespiquen, you too!"

Their other opponent, a boy who looks to be a few years older than the three other trainers on the battlefield, sends out his Pokemon next, which just so happens to be a Vespiquen. Casey knows very little about Vespiquen, excluding its typing and the fact that it is the evolved form of female Combee, but she chooses to not let her lack of knowledge faze her as she sends out her first Pokemon.

"Dratini, get fired up!"

"Pidgeot, come on out!"

Both Casey and Duncan send out their Pokemon simultaneously; Dratini and Pidgeot burst out of their Pokeballs with fierce battle cries. They definitely seem more fired up to battle than their opponents, that's for sure.

"All right! Battle...begin!"

"Lombre, use Hydro Pump!"

"Vespiquen, Power Gem!"

Their opponents waste no time in firing their initial attacks. Lombre lurches its body backwards before unleashing a powerful torrent of water right at Dratini and Pidgeot. Vespiquen attacks simultaneously, generating a large glowing orb between her hands before launching it right at Dratini and Pidgeot, its power combining with that of Lombre's Hydro Pump. Most trainers would be concerned at the sight of such a powerful combination, but Casey and Duncan aren't. They have the perfect move to counter it.

"Pidgeot, use Protect, let's go!"

Pidgeot listens to Duncan's orders and flies down in front of Dratini, surrounding the two of them in a green aura-like shield just before their opponents attack reaches them. Protect, as the name of the attack suggests, protects both Pidgeot and Dratini from sustaining any damage from their opponents combined attack, much to the opposing trainer's chagrin.

"Time for a counter strike!" Casey points towards her opponents as the defensive barrier around Dratini and Pidgeot fades away, not wasting any time in fighting back, "Dratini, use Dragon Rage on Vespiquen!"

"Pidgeot, use Wing Attack on Lombre!" Duncan calls out, working in perfect sync with Casey's sudden orders.

Pidgeot soars towards Lombre at breakneck speed, flying so fast that the Jolly Pokemon doesn't have enough time to react to what's going on. Pidgeot's Wing Attack strikes Lombre directly, sending it flying back with ease.

"Lombre, no!"

Whilst Lombre's trainer calls out in concern for her Pokemon, who is struggling to get up from the ground, Dratini's Dragon Rage races closer and closer towards Vespiquen. Vespiquen's trainer chooses to react quickly and not fall prey to the same fate that his partner did, giving a command to Vespiquen in order to counter Dratini's fierce attack.

"Vespiquen, counter with Power Gem!"

The two powerful attacks collide in the middle of the battlefield, canceling each other out and causing a large explosion to occur. The explosion cloaks the battlefield in thick black smoke, though it dissipates just in time for Casey to see Vespiquen's trainer order yet another attack.

"Vespiquen, quick! Use Toxic!"

Casey, still rather dazed by the explosion thats just occurred, doesn't fully process the situation right away, and as of such doesn't know how to react as the thick purple sludge rushes towards Dratini. Usually she'd know just how to react to such a situation, but right now she's just completely out of it.

Luckily she has Duncan there to cover for her.

"Use Protect, Pidgeot!"

Duncan gives the command with surprising confidence, Pidgeot obeying immediately and swooping down to protect Dratini. Vespiquen's Toxic is easily blocked by Pidgeot's Protect; Duncan chooses to snap back into action in an instant.

"Now, follow up with Quick Attack!"

Casey catches onto what Duncan is trying to do and gives her own command, "Use Slam, Dratini!"

Both Dratini and Pidgeot manage to land their Normal-Type attacks on their opponents, sending both Vespiquen and Lombre to the ground upon impact. Dratini and Pidgeot move to stand in front of their trainers as Casey smirks.

 _This is just what we've been waiting for!_

Casey turns and looks over at Duncan, her smirk changing to a confident smile as they look at each other excitedly,"Grand finale?"

"Grand finale!" Duncan nods with a smile, turning his attention back to the battlefield and pointing towards the sky with gusto, "Alright, Pidgeot, fly up!"

Pidgeot obeys Duncan's command once again. It soars up high into the air with a loud bird caw, practically disappearing amongst the clouds high above the stadium. That's just what they need. They need Pidgeot to be out of sight so that it can play its part in the grand finale.

"Now, Dratini! Use Draco Meteor!"

Dratini cranes her neck back as she generates a meteoric orb in her mouth, launching it high up into the air moments later. The orb disperses and soon numerous meteors rain down on the battlefield, Lombre clearly taking the most damage from the powerful Dragon-Type attack. The Jolly Pokemon tries its best to keep its footing, but it succumbs to the power of Dratini's Draco Meteor and falls onto the ground with a thud, the sheer power of the attack having rendered it unable to battle.

"Lombre is unable to battle!" The referee declares.

 _Time to wrap this up!_

Casey trains her eyes onto Vespiquen, watching as the Beehive Pokemon struggles to get up off of the ground. Now's their chance to win this.

"Finish it up, Duncan!"

"Got it!" Duncan nods, facing Vespiquen with a steeled expression on his face, "Pidgeot, use Wing Attack on Vespiquen!"

It takes a few moments, but Pidgeot soon comes into view from high above as it swoops down towards Vespiquen, its wings glowing brightly as it approaches. It reaches Vespiquen in a matter of moments and strikes the Beehive Pokemon just as it's beginning to regain its footing, knocking it out cold with that single powerful hit.

"Vespiquen is unable to battle!" The referee declares, pointing a green flag towards Casey and Duncan, "And that means that the winners are Dratini and Pidgeot!"

"And that's the first battle of the C Block all wrapped up! Casey and Duncan will proceed to the second round matchups tomorrow!"

 _We did it!_

Casey turns to Duncan and gives him a victorious hi-five as the crowd cheers vigorously, clearly impressed by the battle action they've just witnessed. Casey's rather pleased with both their and their opponents performance in battle as well, though she knows not to become too overconfident. They've still got a long way to go if they want to win this.

* * *

 **Hi, everybody! First off, I want to apologise for how long its been since my last update. I've been rather busy recently seeing family, catching up on work and all that good stuff, but my time is beginning to become more free as of late. I hope to return to regular updates ASAP.**

 **Anyways, as always, please leave a review if you like a chapter. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the story and I hope that you all have a nice day. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Facing Fierce Competition

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:**

 **I accidentally posted this chapter as the last one without realising it. The previous chapter has been updated to the correct one. If you haven't read it, feel free to go back and read the new chapter 12 so this chapter makes more sense. Sorry for the confusion everybody!**

* * *

 _"Vespiquen is unable to battle!" The referee declares, pointing a green flag towards Casey and Duncan, "And that means that the winners are Dratini and Pidgeot!"_

 _"And that's the first battle of the C Block all wrapped up! Casey and Duncan will proceed to the second round matchups tomorrow!"_

 _We did it!_

 _Casey turns to Duncan and gives him a victorious hi-five as the crowd cheers vigorously, clearly impressed by the battle action they've just witnessed. Casey's rather pleased with both their and their opponents performance in battle as well, though she knows not to become too overconfident. They've still got a long way to go if they want to win this._

* * *

Casey shivers slightly as she walks around outside, the cool nighttime air causing such chills. It's not exactly freezing out, but the temperature has significantly dropped from what it was during the day. Monferno, who is walking by her side, seems to notice her shivering, as he ignites the tail on his flame a bit more in order to help her warm up.

She smiles down gratefully at her partner Pokemon, "Thanks, pal."

"Staravia, Aerial Ace!"

Casey ears perk up when she hears a familiar voice nearby, Monferno's ears doing just the same. The reason she left the Pokemon Center in the first place was to find a particular person who seemingly slipped away without anybody else noticing, and Casey reckons that she might've just found him.

"Ash!"

Casey and Monferno rush towards Ash just as his Pokemon finish up one of their battle manoeuvres, Ash praising his Pokemon before turning to face Casey and Monferno. He seems surprised to see them.

"Oh, hey, Casey!" He says, "What are you doing here?"

"I came out here to find you." Casey replies honestly. She looks over at Ash's Pokemon before shifting her eyes back over to him, "So you're training, huh?"

"Right! We've got to be ready to go for tomorrow if we want to win this!"

Casey smirks, "I don't know, Ash. I think Duncan and I have got a fair shot at this competition for sure."

Ash looks as if he's going to argue back in his usual Ash manner, but he seems to stop himself at the last second. That sure is a good thing. Ash and Casey would've argued for hours over it, only to end up laughing about it in the end.

"Where is Duncan, anyway?" Ash asks, looking around and noticing the absence of Casey's tag team partner.

"He went home. He wanted to make sure that his Pokemon were well rested for tomorrow." Casey explains, "You know, now that he actually understands his Pokemon, he's a really confident and skilled trainer."

Ash looks as if he's going to say something, but he abruptly stops when both him and Casey spot an intense ray of fire rise about the trees in the distance, lighting up the night sky briefly before disappearing.

"Huh!?" Ash gasps, "What's that?!"

"It looks like a Flameth-." Casey says, pausing abruptly when Monferno begins to rush off towards where the fire rose above the trees, "Hey, Monferno! Wait up!"

It doesn't take long for Casey to race after her partner; Ash returns his Pokemon, excluding Pikachu of course, to their Pokeballs before following along as well, both the two trainers and Pikachu following Monferno towards the nearby forest.

It takes them a few minutes to reach the forest, and a few more minutes after that to traverse the forest itself. Thankfully, Monferno seems to know his way through the forest somehow. Casey's certain that without Monferno, she and Ash would be lost in this forest for sure. Monferno eventually finds the source of the fire, and what Casey and Ash find surprises them to say the least.

It's Paul, and he seems to be running some kind of training exercise. All of his other Pokemon are stood around Chimchar and are firing attacks at it consecutively, the Chimp Pokemon struggling to defend itself against the onslaught of attacks.

Casey finds it all rather horrifying.

"Hey, Paul!" Casey snaps, "Cut it out!"

Paul, being Paul, flat out ignores Casey and instead gives another command to one of his Pokemon coldly, "Ursaring, use Focus Blast."

 _I'm not letting him get away with this!_

Casey's about to order Monferno to stand in and defend Chimchar, but her partner Pokemon seems to have the exact same viewpoint on the situation as she does, as he stands in front of Chimchar without even being told to do so. He deflects the Focus Blast right back at Paul's Ursaring with ease, the super effective attack hitting the Hibernator Pokemon right in the chest and sending it stumbling back.

"Mon! Monferno!"

Casey glances over at Paul and sees that he is looking at Monferno with a scowl, but also with a hint of surprise on his face. He probably isn't used to anybody standing up to him. Ursaring sure isn't, as the Hibernator Pokemon is snarling angrily and glaring down at Monferno, who is standing his ground in protecting Chimchar.

"What's going on, Paul?!" Ash asks angrily, looking over at Paul agitatedly, "Why is Chimchar the only one you put through such intense special training?!"

"It's none of your business!"

"Why did you even enter this competition, Paul?!" Casey snaps, already on her last nerve when it comes to how Paul is acting, "You clearly don't care about being a part of a team, so what gives?!"

"It's a good chance to get my Pokemon used to some real combat." He replies bluntly, as if what he's saying is the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you mean?!"

Casey jumps in surprise when she hears Dawn speak up out of nowhere. She sounds just as angry as Ash and Casey, making the latter wonder just how much of the conversation the bluenette has heard. Regardless of how much she's heard, she sure isn't afraid to voice her opinions on it all.

"Don't you think that you're being rude to the other trainers and Pokemon in the tag battle?!" Dawn shouts, glaring intensely over at Paul.

Paul ignores Dawn and instead looks over at Ash, "I needed Chimchar to be struck by that Surf in our match today, get it?"

Casey looks at Paul in disgust for his comment. Casey watched Ash and Paul's first match earlier in the day, and she was absolutely horrified when Paul commanded not to move as the opponents Rhydon used Surf. If it wasn't for Pikachu, then Chimchar would've been done for.

"And what if Chimchar would've lost?!"

What Paul says next completely and utterly disgusts Casey; her anger towards the purple-haired trainer only grows even more as he says it.

"Then Chimchar would be useless!"

"Mon! Monferno!"

Monferno yells angrily at Paul, who simply scoffs and looks away, "Get up, Chimchar! We're not done yet!"

Chimchar, clearly absolutely terrified of its trainer, does its best to try and get up, only to falter soon after. It stumbles and falls back down to the ground, this time passed out from complete and utter exhaustion. Dawn and Ash both instantly rush over to Chimchar, clearly concerned for the Chimp Pokemon's wellbeing, whilst Casey remains where she's stood, her disgusted eyes fixed on Paul. He doesn't even seem fazed that his Pokemon has just passed out before his eyes! It makes Casey's blood boil, that's for sure.

"That's it, Paul!" Ash shouts angrily as he lifts Chimchar up into his arms, glaring intensely over at Paul as he does so, "I'm taking Chimchar to the Pokemon Center right now!"

"Be my guest!"

* * *

Casey glances back with a sigh at Monferno. Her partner Pokemon is currently stood by the glass window looking into Chimchar's recovery room inside of the Pokemon Center, concern settling across his face in waves. Brock's already treated Chimchar and has explained that the Chimp Pokemon will be perfectly fine after a lot of rest, but that didn't seem to settle Monferno's nerves. The Playful Pokemon's seemingly grown rather protective of Chimchar in the short time that he's known it. Casey would be surprised if it wasn't for the fact that she understands how compassionate Monferno can be. He really does care for others more than he does himself.

Casey is mildly aware that Brock is talking to Paul, and for most of the conversation she zones out of it completely. She has no interest in what Paul has to say. After everything that he's done, why should she? However, he does manage to catch her attention when he abruptly stands up from his seat, making quite the commotion whilst he's at it.

"I need to push Chimchar past the limit! If we could just recapture that power, Chimchar would be the strongest of all my Fire-Type Pokemon!"

Casey can't help but scoff at that. He doesn't need to push Chimchar past the limit to unlock its true power, at least not in the way that he does. If he could connect with his Pokemon then he'd be able to unlock their true power in an easier and much less cruel way.

Paul doesn't seem to hear her scoff and instead chooses to make his way towards the door of the Pokemon Center, clearly not interested in talking to them any longer. Casey's not exactly complaining about it. In fact, she wouldn't have payed Paul any attention, that's if it wasn't for the fact that Monferno suddenly began rushing over to the leaving trainer. Before she can even process what's going on, the Playful Pokemon fires a powerful Flamethrower right at Paul, making the purple-haired boy pause abruptly when it just about skims past his face.

Casey knows that she should get up from where she's sat, rush over to Monferno and pull him away from Paul whilst apologizing profusely for her Pokemon's actions, but she finds herself instead watching curiously as Monferno stares down Paul, who has now turned around to face the Playful Pokemon himself.

He looks at Monferno stoically, but Casey can hear something in his voice that she's never heard from him before. She can hear curiosity, "What do you want?"

Monferno responds by yelling over at Paul angrily, punching his fists into the air as he stares Paul down. It takes a moment for Casey to figure out what Monferno is trying to say, and it's at that moment in time when Paul figures it out as well. She expects Paul to simply scoff and turn away, but he catches Casey off guard when he turns towards her, his face still stoic and his eyes steeled.

"One on one. Outside in five minutes. Make this worth my time." He says bluntly before turning around again and walking right out of the Pokemon Center, the automatic doors closing promptly behind him.

Everybody is silent for a few moments, none of them really sure how to react. In fact, it's Holly, Brock's tag battle partner, that speaks up first on the matter, voicing what practically all of them are thinking.

"What was that about?"

"He wants a battle." Casey says as she stands up from her seat, crossing the space between herself and Monferno and kneeling down to his level, "You wanna give it a shot, pal?"

Casey already knows what Monferno's answer will be, but she feels that it's right to ask regardless. Still, she can't help but smile when he jumps about enthusiastically, all the while maintaining his serious manner in his cries of determination.

"That's what I was hoping for."

* * *

"The battle between Casey and Paul is about to begin!" Brock announces as he stands on the sidelines of the battlefield.

Casey and Monferno are stood at one end, the latter of the two bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation for the battle to begin. He's really pumped up to battle, though Casey isn't entirely sure why. Her best bet is because he thinks that by taking on Paul he's defending Chimchar. After all, he has grown rather protective of the Chimp Pokemon in such a small amount of time.

Paul is stood at the other end of the battlefield, his usual stoic expression still apparent on his face. Ash, Dawn, Holly and Conway are all sat on benches at the side of the battlefield, ready to watch the battle unfold. Dawn and Holly both look rather calm whilst the boys seem far more attentive, likely eager for the battle to start.

"Each side will use one Pokemon, and the battle will be over when one of the Pokemon is unable to battle! Paul, please choose your battling Pokemon."

Paul wastes no time in sending his chose Pokemon out onto the battlefield, sending it out seconds after Brock declares that the battle has begun, "Murkrow! Stand by for battle!"

"Mur! Mur-krow!" Murkrow caws as it emerges from its Pokeball in a flash of bright light, flapping its wing as it hovers above the battlefield.

Casey gets what Paul's trying to do. He's trying to gain an edge on her by having the type advantage. Unfortunately for him, she isn't going to let something as simple as type advantage stop her. There's ways around that kind of thing, after all. It's just the matter of figuring out those ways.

"Now, let the battle begin!"

Paul wastes no time in starting out the battle, barking out an order to Murkrow almost immediately, "Use Haze!"

Murkrow opens its mouth and spews out thick, black smoke upon command. The smoke is quick to cover the entire battlefield, Monferno becoming lost amongst its dark facade. Casey fully understands what Paul's trying to do. She's seen this kind of strategy before and so has Monferno. They know exactly what to do.

"Now use Sky Attack!"

Casey watches calmly as Murkrow flies up even higher, presumably so it can build up more speed when coming back down to attack. She knows that Sky Attack is a powerful move, but at the same time she also knows just how to counter it. She just needs to wait for the right moment, and she trusts that Monferno understands that. He always manages to understand her.

Murkrow, now at a reasonably high altitude after just a few seconds, begins to come rushing back towards the ground. A white aura glows around it as it approaches. Casey can't tell if Paul is satisfied with the move from his usual stoic expression, but from where she's standing it sure does look powerful. Still, she keeps a calm expression on her face as Murkrow gets closer and closer to the ground, only reacting when it is mere inches from the haze cloud surrounding the battlefield.

"Here it comes!" She calls, "You know what to do, Monferno!"

Murkrow disappears into the haze as a smirk begins to form on Paul's face. Casey almost feels bad for him. That smirk is about to vanish for sure.

"Mon-ferno!"

Monferno yells loudly as he rises up high above the smoke, remaining suspended high up into the air for a few moments. Paul lets out a noise that sounds like a mixture of a frustrated groan and a surprised gasp as the smoke begins to fade away, revealing the not so good state of his Murkrow. The Darkness Pokemon must've not had enough time to correct itself when Monferno dodged its powerful attack, and as of such it crashed right into the battlefield, where it is lying weakly whilst struggling to get up.

"Get up!" Paul orders harshly, "You're being pathetic!"

Casey scowls at Paul for his comment, but she ultimately manages to keep her mouth shut as Monferno lands back on the ground in front of her, poised and ready to attack when commanded to do so. Murkrow manages to get up, albeit after some struggle, and moves back to its original position just above the battlefield. Paul chooses not to waste any more time as he calls his next attack.

"Use Shadow Ball!"

"Counter with Flamethrower!"

The dark, purple orb of Murkrow's Shadow Ball and the fiery red stream of Monferno's Flamethrower speed towards each other and collide with great force in mid-air, erupting into a small explosion almost immediately upon contact.

"Now use Aerial Ace!"

Casey understands what Paul's trying to do: he's trying to knock her down with sheer power. It's evident to her as Murkrow begins to rush down towards Monferno. Thankfully, she knows just how to counter this.

"Block it, Monferno!"

Monferno tenses his body and moves into his defensive stance just as Murkrow crashes into him. He staggers back initially from the force of the attack, but he quickly manages to recompose himself and successfully block off Murkrow's super effective attack without much damage, much to Paul's surprise.

"Now use Flame Wheel!" Casey calls. Monferno obeys, his body quickly becoming surrounded in hot flames. Murkrow, being in such a close proximity to Monferno, becomes engulfed in the flames itself; it cries out in pain as it remains ensnared in the fires burning grip.

Still, they aren't done just yet.

"Do it, Monferno!"

Monferno yells ferociously as he begins to spin faster and faster, Murkrow trapped inside the intense fiery vortex. Monferno surges forward with great speed and drags Murkrow along with him, leaving a trail of flames in his wake. He spins right towards the edge of the battlefield before stopping abruptly, the sudden shift in speed sending Murkrow spiralling out of the fiery vortex and into a nearby tree.

"What?!" Paul snaps. Monferno's Flame Wheel dissipates and the Playful Pokemon moves back over to his side of the battlefield, his chest heaving as he catches his breath. Casey can see the state that Murkrow's in, and she doesn't need to wait for Brock to know what the outcome of the battle is.

"Murkrow is unable to battle!" Brock declares, "The match goes to Casey and Monferno!"

"Yes!" Casey cheers triumphantly, shooting a smile over in Monferno's direction, "We did it, pal!"

Monferno looks over at Casey cheerfully, clearly happy about the outcome of the battle. As she and Monferno celebrate, Casey takes note of just what Paul is doing. He's stood over Murkrow with a Pokeball in his hands and Casey assumes that he'll return the Darkness Pokemon to its Pokeball, though he manages to find the time to insult the unconscious Pokemon for its performance in battle.

"That was pathetic! You're just a disappointment!"

Casey should really bite her tongue her, but this time around she can't stop herself. She storms over to Paul with fire in her eyes, glaring at the cruel boy as he returns Murkrow to its Pokeball, "You need to back off, Paul!"

Paul pockets Murkrow's Pokeball and begins to walk away from Casey, presumably off to the Pokemon Center. At least, Casey hopes that he's heading for the Pokemon Center.

"What do you care?" He replies coldly, "You won."

"What does that matter?! Just because Murkrow lost, it doesn't give the right to be so harsh!"

"It does if Murkrow should've won."

Casey's glare turns murderous at that, "You might want to take that back, Paul!"

"It's pathetic!" He responds adamantly, turning around to look at Casey with a cold stare, "You're pathetic! You and him are one in the same!"

Casey glances over in the direction where Paul is looking and sees Ash. He's still with the others, though now they're stood up and are watching the scene unfold in front of them with both curiosity and concern. Well, Brock looks more analytical than concerned, but that's just Brock's nature.

"You think that trust and friendship is what gives you strength, but it's all nonsense! What's the point in trusting a Pokemon that's weak?!" Paul scoffs. Casey looks back to him, glare still as intense as before; she can't fault his adamance. As much as she doesn't agree with his ideals, she can clearly see that he's strong in his convictions.

"Murkrow isn't weak just because it lost a battle! You need to realise that, Paul! You can't just-!"

 _"Enough!"_

Casey stops abruptly when Brock's loud voice cuts over her own, the sternest of it making her flinch. She turns around and looks at Brock as he approaches; she notices that the others are still stood where they were before as they watch the scene unfold before them. Brock reaches Casey and Paul just seconds later.

"The battle is over." He says bluntly, directing his attention towards Paul, "It's done. All that's left is to head to the Pokemon Center so that Nurse Joy can care for the Pokemon. Do you understand?"

Paul waits for a few seconds before giving Brock a slight nod. The rude trainer doesn't even acknowledge Casey again before he turns around and begins to walk off without another word. Casey watches as Paul walks off with anger plastered across her face; she doesn't even realise that she has her fists clenched to the point where her knuckles are turning white until Brock points it out to her. She sighs as she unclenches her fists, turning and looking over at Brock apologetically.

"I didn't mean to start on him." She sighs, "I just don't get him."

Brock replies with a simple nod of understanding, the small action conveying more than any words possibly could in that moment. Brock seems to have that gift: the ability to convey so many different thoughts and feelings just through his actions rather than his words. Casey can't help but admire that about Brock.

"Mon-ferno!"

Casey looks over at Monferno with a fond smile as the Playful Pokemon rushes over to her, a mixture of concern and intrigue written across his face. He's clearly confused about her exchange with Paul, so she figures that she should try her best to reassure him.

"It's all good, pal." She smiles as she kneels down to Monferno's eye level, "I need you to bring that kind of power out again in the finals. Do you reckon you can do that, pal?"

"He won't need to."

Casey looks up when she hears Conway speak up and she finds that he, along with the others who are stood just behind him, have made their way over from the side of the battlefield to where she and Brock are stood now.

Conway smirks confidently, tipping the edge of his glasses as he peers down at Casey, "Because in order to get to the finals, you'll have to defeat Dawn and I, and I'd expect a trainer as intelligent as you, Casey, to realise that's not going to happen."

Casey laughs, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes as she stands up to face Conway, "Don't count us out just yet, Conway. Duncan and I have got this competition on lock!"

"Don't forget about Brock and I!"

"Or me!" Ash chimes in shortly after Holly, his usual eagerness evident on his face, "It may be a challenge, but don't count me out!"

Casey smiles back at her friends, any angry or hateful thoughts forgotten by the promise of new challenges, "You're on!"

* * *

 **Hey everybody! I'm back with another chapter!** **Sorry I haven't been updating a lot recently. I've been super busy!**

 **I know it sounds ridiculous, but a huge motivator for writing is reviews. I didn't get any on the previous chapter :(. Of course writers aren't entitled to reviews, but receiving one can really make the world of a difference when it comes to writing. So, please, if you have a few seconds spare, leave a review after reading this chapter. It really would mean the world to me!**

 **Thanks again and I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! I'm rather proud of it :)!**


	14. Taking on the Final Tag Battle Challenge

_Casey laughs, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes as she stands up to face Conway, "Don't count us out just yet, Conway. Duncan and I have got this competition on lock!"_

 _"Don't forget about Brock and I!"_

 _"Or me!" Ash chimes in shortly after Holly, his usual eagerness evident on his face, "It may be a challenge, but don't count me out!"_

 _Casey smiles back at her friends, any angry or hateful thoughts forgotten by the promise of new challenges, "You're on!"_

* * *

"I still can't believe that we won."

Casey looks over at Duncan out of the corner of her eye, surprised by his sudden admission. It's early evening and the two of them are just walking out of the stadium in search of Ash and the others, the cool evening breeze and setting sun relaxing the both of them, which is just what they need after the intense battle they experienced just a couple of hours prior.

They were up against a Mantyke and a Shelgon. It was a close battle, but Casey's Electabuzz and Duncan's Tyranitar just about managed to pull out a win, albeit just barely. Now they're set to face off against Conway and Dawn tomorrow and Casey knows that the battle will be far from easy. She knows just how skilled Dawn is, and from what she's gathered Conway has strategies to spare. It explains why they've made it so far in the competition.

"We actually won!" Duncan smiles enthusiastically, his voice full of excitement and pride, "This is totally awesome! You know, I think we can win this! We might actually win this!"

"Might?" Casey asks.

"Well, yeah." Duncan says sheepishly, "I mean, from what I've seen, our opponents in the next round are really strong."

"I'm not denying that. They are strong and smart, but we can't let that stop us. We just have to be stronger and smarter." Casey replies, "If we can outsmart Conway's strategies, we can win this battle easily."

"How do you know all of this, Casey?"

"Because I've competed in two League conferences." Casey answers, a wistful smile coming to her face as she thinks about it.

"Did you win either of them?"

"I got to the finals in both but I didn't win." Casey sighs longingly. She was so close both times, but she just fell short when it mattered the most. Still, she did manage to take at least some positive things from her losses.

"I'm sorry."

Casey can sense the awkwardness in his voice a mile off. Knowing his discomfort, she comes to a sudden stop and puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder, the sudden gesture making him pause and look at her in confusion. She smiles at him when he turns to her, "Don't sweat it, Duncan. Sure I lost, but I still learnt from it. It's what makes me stronger, you know?"

The tension leaves his face and he smiles, nodding in understanding right back at her, "Right."

 _"It looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"_

Casey quickly turns her sights towards the evening sky when she hears a familiar sound, just catching a glimpse of three figures disappearing into the distant sky. Duncan's completely and utterly baffled by it all, but it doesn't take Casey long to connect the dots, her eyes going wide when she figures out what's happened.

She reaches out and grabs Duncan's arm, rushing off in the general direction that the figures blasted off in and pulling him with her, "Come on!"

"What's going on?!" He shouts back, clearly surprised and flustered by all of the sudden movement.

Casey doesn't give him a response as she's too focused on trying to get to her friends. He seems to understand what her lack of response means as he begins to run on his own accord, making it easier for her to run as she no longer has to pull him along with her. He follows her silently as they rush at top speed; Casey stops breathlessly when her friends come into sight.

They look to her and she looks back at them, relief flooding her face at the mere sight of them. Her shaky voice shows just how breathless she is as she speaks to them in a concerned voice, "I-I saw Team Rocket...a-are you guys okay?"

"We're fine." Dawn nods, "No need to worry!"

Casey can't help but laugh at Dawn's laid-back response. She finds it rather funny that she allowed herself to become so panicked, yet Dawn and the others are completely fine.

"Hey, Ash! I didn't know that you had a Chimchar!"

Casey's eyes flicker over to Duncan briefly before looking over at Ash, surprised to find that he is holding a Chimchar in his arms. Just from looking at this Pokemon, Casey recognises just what Chimchar it is. It's Paul's.

"Ash." She looks at him in confusion, "What's going on?"

"Chimchar's coming along with us now." He looks down at the Chimp Pokemon in his arms with a confident, "Ain't that right, Chimchar?"

"Char!"

"Monferno will be happy about that." She smiles. She knows that there's more to the story, and knowing Paul it can't be a very good reason as to why Chimchar's now in Ash's care. Something must've gone wrong and as much as she wants to know what that 'something' is, she knows that for now it can wait. She can get her answer at another time.

* * *

"We've made it folks! Now is the time for the first semi-final battle of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition! Are you all ready?!"

The crowd erupts into applause and cheers of excitement, the very sound of it making adrenaline coarse through Casey's veins. She's ready to win this, especially with the cheering crowd supplying her with more than enough motivation. It's just like the Pokemon League, except the stakes are nowhere near as high. Still, Casey intends to win this competition no matter what the stakes are.

"Let's see which Pokemon are battling today!" Enta declares as the crowd's cheers begin to die down, "Trainers, please choose your Pokemon!"

Conway and Dawn react first, both of them reaching for one of the minimized Pokeballs in their pockets almost instantly. They enlarge the Pokeballs before tossing them out in front of them, calling out their respective Pokemon's name as they do.

"Go, Slowking!"

"Buneary, spotlight!"

Slowing and Buneary both emerge from their Pokeballs in bright flashes of light, the latter of the two cheering happily as it faces the crowd. Casey figures that it's Buneary's contest nature that's making it so happy to be in front of the crowd. Slowking, much like Conway, is stood there with a calm expression on its face, though Casey hasn't seen the Royal Pokemon act any differently throughout the entire competition so she's not surprised.

Casey looks away from their opponents and over to Duncan, who is already looking back at her. She gives him a reassuring smile, which he returns with a nod of confidence.

 _Let's show them what we've got!_

She turns back to the battlefield with a look of fiery determination in her eyes, throwing her Pokeball out in front of her with gusto whilst Duncan does the same.

"Shellos, get fired up!"

"Let's go, Tyranitar!"

Shellos and Tyranitar both let out battle cries as soon as they appear from their capsules, though Tyranitar's deafeningly loud roar easily sounds over Shellos' small battle cry. It's almost kinda funny to see Shellos and Tyranitar next to each other, fighting side by side for one goal. Their contrasts in type, size and everything in between makes them quite the unlikely pairing, but at the same time that's what makes them work as a duo.

"Now that our tag teams have selected their Pokemon, we are ready to commence the first semi-final matchup!" Enta declares, "Let the battle begin!"

Conway wastes no time in making the first move, a confident smirk falling upon his face as he gives his order, "Slowking, use Water Pulse on Tyranitar."

"Buneary, use Dizzy Punch on Shellos!"

 _They're going on_ _offense then? Time to throw them off of their game._

Casey quickly glances over at Duncan for reassurance, her partner nodding in understanding without even a second thought. He knows exactly what they need to do next.

"Tyranitar, throw Shellos up into the air!"

Tyranitar obeys its trainers command, reaching down to grab Shellos before tossing her high into the air, much to their opponents surprise. That's good. Casey wants them to be surprised. It's all part of their plan.

 _Now to deal with that Water Pulse._

"Shellos, use Mud Bomb on Slowking's Water Pulse!"

Shellos opens her mouth and fires off multiple balls of thick, brown mud right at Slowking's attack, cancelling it out before it can even get close to Tyranitar.

"Now use Water Pulse on Slowking!"

"Block it using Protect!"

 _Perfect._

Casey watches with a smirk as Slowking uses Protect to block off Shellos' Water Pulse, the Sea Slug Pokemon landing back on the battlefield as it does so. Casey chooses to waste no time in making her next move.

"Keep using Water Pulse, Shellos!" She calls out to Shellos, who calls back to her in confidence before firing an onslaught of Water Pulses right at their defending opponent. She speaks to Duncan quietly, but keeps her eyes fixed on the space in front of her, "Deal with Buneary. We'll keep on distracting Slowking."

"Got it." Duncan replies, "Alright, Tyranitar! Use Thrash on Buneary!"

Tyranitar listens to its trainers command immediately, rushing towards the small Rabbit Pokemon with speed that's surprising for a Pokemon of its size. Dawn calls out to Buneary to dodge the attack, but Tyranitar catches up to Buneary before it can even fully react to what's going on. The Amor Pokemon deals several devastating blows that send the Rabbit Pokemon flying back, that one attack alone knocking Buneary and Dawn out of the battle.

"No!"

"And Buneary is down!" Enta declares, the crowd roaring in excitement at the new revelation, "It's all down to Conway and Slowking now! Can they pull through and win this for their team?!"

 _Not if we have anything to say about it!_

Dawn calls Buneary back to its Pokeball whilst Casey calls Shellos back over to their side of the battlefield, giving the Sea Slug Pokemon a much needed rest after the onslaught of attacks she just fired off. Sure, none of them actually hit Slowking, but the attacks still served an important purpose. They kept Conway distracted so that Duncan could knock Dawn out of the battle, which is just what they intended to do right from the start.

 _Okay, we can win this. We've just got to break Conway down and we're all set. Tyranitar can finish it off in one hit if we can catch Conway at the right time._

"Slowking, use Psychic."

 _Oh, no!_

Casey stands there in panic as Slowking uses Psychic, its eyes glowing a bright blue as it extends its hands out in front of it. Shellos becomes surrounded in a blue aura that is of a similar colour to that of Slowking's glowing eyes as she are lifted up into the air, Shellos completely immobilized and under the control of Slowking.

Casey watches in frustration as Slowking uses its control on Shellos to throw her to the ground, the Sea Slug Pokemon taking a substantial amount of damage upon impact.

Conway laughs cockily from the other side of the battlefield, readjusting his glasses with a confident look in his eyes, "Not so easy now, is it?"

Casey glares back at Conway. He's right: this sure isn't as easy as she thought it would be. Yet, whilst Conway has got numerous concise and complex strategies, Casey and Duncan have got one advantage over him that he can't possibly access. There's two of them and only one of him. They need to use that fact to their advantage.

"Shellos, use Body Slam!" Casey calls out without, admittedly, much thought. She watches as Shellos surges towards Slowking at a steady speed before leaping up into the air, ready to attack the Royal Pokemon in an instant. But, of course, Conway has a counter for that.

"Stop it with Psychic!"

Shellos is stopped in mid air, once again surrounded by a bright blue aura. Casey remains stood there for a few moments, once again unsure of what to do. She only snaps out of her stupor when she hears Duncan yell out abruptly.

"Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse!"

Casey looks over at Tyranitar as the Armor Pokemon opens its mouth and generates a dark purple orb of energy, launching the powerful dark aura directly at an unsuspecting Slowking. The Royal Pokemon's sent flying backwards immediately after the super effective attack hits it; its Psychic wears off as soon as it's hit and Shellos is released from its control. The Sea Slug Pokemon falls back down to the battlefield, thankfully landing with ease beside Tyranitar as Slowking struggles to get up.

"Use Dark Pulse again, Tyranitar!"

Casey follows Duncan's lead there by giving Shellos yet another command, "Shellos, you use Water Pulse!"

Both Pokemon follow their trainers commands once again and fire off the requested attacks, the two powerful moves merging into one terrifyingly strong attack that rushes towards Slowking at top speed.

"Slowking, use Protect!" Conway yells. It's clear that he's trying to hide the desperation in his voice, an attempt at which he's failing.

Slowking attempts to use Protect and at first it looks to be working, but the Royal Pokemon soon falters. Casey figures that it's due to its weak state, but the Royal Pokemon only manages to keep up its defensive shield for a matter of seconds before it disappears, leaving Slowking completely exposed to the oncoming attack.

The combined attack makes a direct hit moments later, the sheer force of it sending Slowking flying backwards, a small cloud of dust forming around the Royal Pokemon as it crashes down onto the dusty battlefield.

"Slowking, no!"

The dust clears away moments later, revealing the state of Slowking after the devastating attack, "And Slowking is unable to battle! The match goes to Shellos and Tyranitar, which means that Casey and Duncan are our first tag-battle team to advance to the finals!"

The crowd erupts into cheers once again at the proclamation.

"Shell!" The Sea Slug Pokemon cheers happily, turning around and rushing towards Casey at top speed.

Shellos jumps up high into the air before landing comfortably on Casey's shoulder, cooing at her trainer as she jumps gleefully on her shoulder.

"Good job, Shellos!" Casey laughs as Shellos continues to jump about, "You were awesome!"

Duncan praises Tyranitar for its performance before returning it to its Pokeball, pocketing the device and looking over at Casey with a smile. She smiles back at him before turning her attention towards Conway. The strategic trainer is kneeling down in front of Slowking. He doesn't exactly look sad or happy...more wistful. Dawn is stood behind him, likely trying to cheer him up with one of her 'no need to worry' lines.

Casey makes her way across the battlefield with Shellos still sat comfortably on her left shoulder, stopping when she reaches her opponents. She looks over at Dawn first, offering a warm smile to the bluenette, "Great job, Dawn! You and Buneary were awesome!"

"Really?"

Casey nods, "For sure! With Buneary's moves and Conway's strategies, you guys sure had me and Duncan worried!"

Dawn thanks Casey for her compliments, a wide smile coming to her face at such praise. Her response makes Casey smile at the same time; it's nice to keep smiling after a battle, especially in a competition like this. This competition is all about forging new bonds and experiencing new things, after all.

"Slowking, return."

Casey looks to Conway as the tactical trainer returns his Pokemon to its Pokeball, pocketing the capsule device moments later. He rises up from the ground and looks over at Casey, fixing up the edge of his glasses with a small laugh.

"Well, well, well. It seems I underestimated you, Casey. The outcome of our battle sure has surprised me." He chuckles lightly, extending his right hand out to her confidently, "I'm looking forward to our next battle."

Casey glances down at Conway's hand, reaching out and shaking it without a slither of hesitation in her mind. She smiles warmly at her newfound rival, replying to him with full certainty in her voice.

"Same here, Conway. I can't wait."

* * *

"Folks, in just five minutes, the final battle of our tag-battle competition will commence! Our tag-teams will be making their way out onto the battlefield within the next couple of minutes, so make sure you show them some love when they come out to fight!"

Enta's voice sounds out loudly from within the heart of the stadium, roaring applause from the waiting crowd there to accompany it. Casey looks down at Monferno with a smile, the Playful Pokemon looking back at her curiously.

"You hear that, pal?" She smiles, "They sound excited."

"Mon-ferno!"

She can hear the crowd even where she and Monferno are stood. They aren't stood in the heart of the stadium but are instead are stood near one of the entrance tunnels for the battlefield itself, ready to head inside when Duncan arrives. He needed to go to the bathroom or something like that, so Monferno and Casey are currently waiting for him to return. Once he arrives they'll be ready to head in for the final battle.

"We're about to go up against Ash and Paul, bud." Casey says, her voice shifting to a more serious and determined tone, "This isn't going to be an easy battle. We know how strong they both are."

"Mon-ferno! Mon! Mon-ferno!"

Casey can't help but smile, "I thought you might say that."

"You know what he said?"

Casey turns around at the sound of a familiar voice, smiling when she sees Duncan approaching with Pidgeot. She shrugs back at him, "Yeah. I kinda just...understand him. It just happens after knowing a Pokemon for a while."

"It hasn't happened to me."

"Yeah, but you only just found out what moves your Pokemon can use. It'll happen eventually." Casey chuckles. She nods her head towards the tunnel, the cheers of the crowd still sounding out from the other side, "You ready to go?"

"We sure are!" Duncan replies confidently as he glances over at Pidgeot, "Ain't that right, Pidgeot?"

"Pidgoo!" Pidgeot caws excitedly, showing the two trainers just how excited it is to battle.

"And here comes our first tag team! Please welcome Ash and Paul!"

The crowds cheers intensify mere moments later, signifying that Ash and Paul have walked out onto the battlefield from the tunnel on the opposite side. Casey looks over at the tunnel before looking back to Duncan, sending a reassuring smile over in his direction.

"Lets go and win this thing."

That's when they decide to walk out onto the battlefield. Together, alongside their Pokemon, they walk through the dimly lit tunnel and out onto the battlefield, both of them instantly taken aback by the roaring crowd. Sure, they've been cheering throughout the entire competition, but not once have they cheered as loud as they are right now. It's kinda scary, in a terrifyingly awesome way.

"And here's our second tag team competing in the final battle of our competition! Give it up for Casey and Duncan!"

The crowd offers up another round of cheers and applause as Casey and Duncan take their places at their side of the battlefield, Monferno and Pidgeot standing in front of their trainers ready to battle.

"Now that all of our trainers are here, we can really get this battle underway!" Enta declares, much to the crowd's delight, "May I ask Ash and Paul to send out their Pokemon ready for battle!"

Casey's eyes shift over to Ash and Paul. She's eager to see just what Pokemon they choose to battle with, though she already has her presumptions.

"Alright, there's only one Pokemon I want to get this job done!"

Casey's not overly surprised to see Chimchar emerge from the Pokeball that Ash throws out onto the battlefield. She half expected her friend to use the Fire-Type, especially considering that he only just caught it. He probably wants to see how he and Chimchar operate as a duo, which is completely understandable from Casey's perspective. She has no doubt that Ash will be able to bring out the best in Chimchar, which is something that Paul never had a shot at achieving with his brutal training tactics.

"Elekid, stand by for battle!"

Paul throws out his Pokeball next and Elekid emerges from it in a bright flash of light, a determined and steeled expression crossing its face almost instantly. It's ready to battle, that's for sure.

"Alright! Battle begin!"

"Elekid, use Thunder!" Paul orders quickly, showing no hesitation in commencing the battle.

"Chimchar, use Flame Wheel!"

Casey glances over at Duncan, the two of them coming to a decision as to what to do just by looking at each other. Duncan smiles confidently back at her before turning back to the battlefield, quickly calling out a command to Pidgeot as Elekid's attack approaches, "Pidgeot, block that Thunder using Protect! Lets go!"

 _That deals with Elekid's Thunder. Now to deal with Chimchar._

"Lets show them how it's done, Monferno!" Casey calls out, "Use Flame Wheel on Chimchar!"

Ash seems taken aback by her order. Monferno's obeys her command and charges up his Flame Wheel, rushing right into Chimchar as the Chimp Pokemon continues to surge towards him. The two strong Flame Wheels collide, but Monferno's ultimately overpowers Chimchar's and sends the small Fire-Type flying backwards.

"No! Chimchar!"

 _Great start! We've got to keep this up!_

"Alright, Pidgeot! Use Wing Attack on Chimchar!"

"Quick, dodge it using Dig!"

Pidgeot rushes towards Chimchar at top speed but, as ordered, the Chimp Pokemon easily dodges the attempted attack by digging deep underground, an action which makes Casey groan in frustration. However, she chooses not to dwell on the failed attack and instead directs her attention towards Elekid.

"Use Mach Punch on Elekid!"

Monferno's fist shines brightly as the Playful Pokemon charges up his power, his fist glowing brighter the closer he gets to his opponent. It's going to be a powerful hit, that's for sure...but, of course, Paul has a counter strike in reserve.

"Use Protect!"

 _Oh, great!_

Elekid sets up its protective shield, which stops Monferno's powerful attack right in its path and prevents the Electric Pokemon from taking any damage, much to Casey's frustration.

"Pidgeot, fly up high!" Duncan orders suddenly. Pidgeot listens to him once again and flies up high into the sky, clearly out of range from any possible attack. At first Casey's confused by his sudden command, but it all becomes clear to her when he says four simple words. He smirks at her, "Light it up, Casey."

 _Of course! That's perfect!_

Her eyes shift back to the battlefield, a confident gleam in her eyes as she looks over at her opponents, "Alright, Monferno! Use Dig!"

Monferno instantly obeys and digs himself deep underneath the battlefield, joining Chimchar in the underbelly of the field. Unluckily for Chimchar, he won't be safe from their next move even if he's underground.

"Now, Monferno! Use Flamethrower and give it all you've got!"

Panic strikes Ash's face as he realises exactly what's going on. He calls out to Chimchar to get out of the way, but he should know by now that his attempts are futile. Mere moments later, Chimchar comes flying up from underneath the ground, yelling out in pain as the battlefield heats up. Elekid feels some of the heat too as the Electric Pokemon grunts and flinches backwards, though it takes nowhere near as much damage as Chimchar does. The Chimp Pokemon looks as if one more attack will knock it right out of the competition.

"Oh, no! Chimchar!" Ash calls out to his Pokemon as it lands in a heap just in front of him, struggling with all of its strength to push itself up off of the ground. Paul doesn't show any concern for Elekid, but that doesn't exactly surprise Casey. Paul's always like that.

"Use Thunder on Pidgeot!"

Casey snaps back into action at Paul's sudden command, the abruptness of it even catching Duncan off guard. He doesn't have enough time to give a command to Pidgeot and, as a result, the super effective attack makes a direct hit.

"No, Pidgeot!"

Electricity continues to crackle around Pidgeot's body as the attack finishes off, the Bird Pokemon visibly weakened from the super effective move. One more super effective attack will knock Pidgeot right out of the battle. Casey can't let that happen.

"Go for Chimchar." Casey says, keeping her eyes fixed on the scene in front of her, "We'll deal with Elekid."

Duncan replies with a simple 'okay', instantly giving Pidgeot the order of attacking Chimchar, "Now use Wing Attack again!"

Pidgeot rushes towards Chimchar, although admittedly at a slower pace than before due to the damage that its sustained. However, it seems that Chimchar has taken far more damage that Pidgeot, as the Chimp Pokemon is too weak to dodge the attack and ends up getting hit directly, sending it flying into the air before back down to the ground.

"No! Chimchar!"

"And Chimchar is down!" Enta declares, the crowd roaring in excitement at the revelation, "It's now up to Paul! Can him and Elekid pull through for their team?!"

Casey looks over at her opponents, watching sympathetically as Ash returns Chimchar to its Pokeball with a sad look on his face. He probably expected to be in the battle for a little while longer; in typical Ash style, that frown on his face soon turns into a smile. Trust Ash to look on the bright side of things. Paul, on the other hand, is just stood there stoically, completely and utterly unaffected by the loss of his teammate. That doesn't surprise Casey one bit. Paul's sense of self preservation is on a whole other level compared to anything she's ever seen before.

Still, he is still a contender in this competition, and it's her job (and Duncan's) to stop that as soon as possible.

 _Now to deal with Elekid!_

"Monferno, use Mach Punch!" She orders. Monferno obeys and begins rushing towards Elekid, his fist glowing brightly once again as he charges up his power.

"Counter it with Thunder Punch!"

Elekid rushes towards Monferno as its left fist crackles with electricity, ready to collide head on with Monferno's Mach Punch. The two Pokemon rush right at each other and meet in the middle of the battlefield, their fists colliding in a brief flash of bright light that forces Casey to look away to protect her eyes. She flinches back briefly but looks back just in time to see Monferno force Elekid backwards, his punching attack overpowering his opponents.

Monferno lands in front of Casey and flinches backwards slightly, clearly having taken some form of damage from his confrontation with Elekid, "Monferno, are you-?"

Casey suddenly stops when she notices that a bright shroud of light has surrounded Paul's Elekid on the other side of the battlefield. Paul's smirking at his Pokemon as it glows, and just at a glance Casey can tell exactly why he's smirking. Elekid's evolving into Electabuzz.

"So this is where it all starts!"

The whole stadium watches in awe as Elekid evolves. It's limbs grow longer, it's head gets larger; by the time the bright aura surrounding it fades away, its transformed into a whole new Pokemon entirely. It's now an Electabuzz.

"And just like that, Paul's Elekid has evolved into Electabuzz right before our very eyes!" Enta calls out to the crowd as they erupt into cheers, "This sure is a sight to behold, folks! Can Paul and Electabuzz turn this battle around?!"

 _Not if we have anything to say about it! We've got to act fast!_

"Pidgeot, use Quick Attack!"

Duncan seems to read Casey's mind as he orders Pidgeot to attack rather hastily. At first Casey thinks that it's perfect, but of course it couldn't be that simple. At first Paul doesn't react at all, but that all just seemed to be an act, as he suddenly barks out an order when Pidgeot is in a close range to Electabuzz, "Use Thunder!"

 _Uh oh._

She figures that she should've seen it coming. This is Paul, after all. He always has a counter strike in play. This particular counter strike makes a direct and super effective hit, resulting in Pidgeot going flying backwards and landing in a heap just beside Monferno; just as Casey predicted, this second super effective hit has knocked Pidgeot right out of the battle.

"And Pidgeot is unable to battle! This battle is really heating up, folks! It's now down to a one on one battle between Monferno and Electabuzz! The question is: who will come out on top?!"

"I'm sorry, Casey." Duncan sighs. He returns Pidgeot to its Pokeball and looks over at her apologetically, clearly embarrassed about being knocked out of the battle, "I was just trying to help."

Casey gives him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it, Duncan. You and Pidgeot were awesome! Besides, this battle isn't over just yet."

Casey can still see the sadness in his eyes, but her words have seemingly managed to make him feel a bit better as he musters up a smile. He nods back at her, "Right! You and Monferno can win this!"

Casey thanks him for his words of encouragement before turning back to the battlefield, her eyes fixing on her opponents. Paul still isn't showing any form of emotion so it's hard to tell how he's feeling about the battle, but Casey knows that she hasn't got the time to dwell on that. It's up to her and Monferno now.

"Now, Monferno! Use Flame Wheel and give it all you've got!"

"Stop it with Thunder!"

 _This is it!_

Casey watches as Monferno speeds towards Electabuzz within his fiery vortex whilst Electabuzz charges up its electrical power, ready to fire off an attack at any moment. Most trainers would have their Pokemon back out of this situation, have them retreat in order to avoid taking damage, but not Casey. No. She knows that if they play this right, they can use Electabuzz power against Paul. She just hopes that it works.

Electabuzz finally fires off its Thunder attack, the intense power of it even surprising Casey. It's clear that Monferno is struggling to deal with its power as the Playful Pokemon has stopped dead in his tracks, though the fiery vortex is still surrounding it. He's just spinning in place as he tries to fight against the attack.

 _If he can break through this, it's all over!_

"Come on, Monferno!" Casey calls out to him in a determined voice, "You can do this! Fight through it!"

"Mon! Mon-ferno!"

Casey smirks as Monferno lets out a loud battle cry and his Flame Wheel intensifies. In that moment, Casey knows that they've won the battle. Monferno fights back against Electabuzz's Thunder and surges right into the newly evolved Electric Pokemon, dealing a heavy amount of damage in just one hit. Electabuzz roars in pain as it goes flying backwards, landing knocked out at Paul's feet as Monferno's Flame Wheel fades away.

"And that's it, folks!" Enta declares, the crowd cheering wilder than ever, "The match goes to Monferno and Pidgeot, meaning that our winning tag-team this year is Casey and Duncan! Congratulations!"

"We won?" Duncan murmurs beside her, shock apparent in her voice. She glances over at him, a warm and genuine smile coming to her face when she realises just how excited he is, "We did it! We won!"

Casey gives Duncan another smile before crossing the battlefield over to Monferno. She kneels down beside her tired partner, giving him a proud smile as he looks over at her breathlessly, "Great job, pal! You rock!"

"Mon! Monferno!" Monferno replies cheerfully, though Casey can clearly hear the tired tone in his voice. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out Monferno's Pokeball, thanking her tired partner Pokemon once again before returning him to his capsule for some much needed rest.

"Hey, Casey."

Casey glances up after pocketing Monferno's Pokeball to find Ash stood over her with a smile on his face, complete with Pikachu perched on his shoulder. She stands up and smiles over at her two friends, "Hey, guys. Thanks for that battle. Chimchar was awesome!"

"So was Monferno!" Ash compliments, "It sure was getting intense at the end there! Monferno rocked!"

"Pika-pi!"

Casey beams at the two of them for their approval, though as she smiles at them, she can't help but notice Paul at the other side of the battlefield. She watches as he returns Electabuzz to its Pokeball, the first sign of emotion on his face visible since the battle began. He looks angry.

She feels as if she should go over there and at least try and talk to him, but she loses her chance to when Duncan walks over to her and Ash, a broad smile plastered across his face, "That was so much fun!"

Casey tears her eyes away from Paul and looks over at her friends, a smile coming to her face when she sees just how happy they are, "It sure was!"

And she's not lying there. The competition sure has been a blast, though she must admit that Paul is still an enigma to her despite the fact that she's had the opportunity to battle him. Still, she knows that she'll see him again eventually. After all, they are technically rivals after all.


	15. Making a Difficult Trade

_She feels as if she should go over there and at least try and talk to him, but she loses her chance to when Duncan walks over to her and Ash, a broad smile plastered across his face, "That was so much fun!"_

 _Casey tears her eyes away from Paul and looks over at her friends, a smile coming to her face when she sees just how happy they are, "It sure was!"_

 _And she's not lying there. The competition sure has been a blast, though she must admit that Paul is still an enigma to her despite the fact that she's had the opportunity to battle him. Still, she knows that she'll see him again eventually. After all, they are technically rivals after all._

* * *

"Ew! Ew! EW!"

Casey's instantly taken aback when she walks into the main lobby of the Pokemon Center and finds Ash and Pikachu rushing about frantically, yelling out in disgust for seemingly no reason. She hasn't been out for long; she decided to go for a short walk after supper to help with her digestion, but she only went out for a short time.

"Oh, hey, Casey!"

Casey looks over to the person calling her name, surprised to notice that Zoey's there. She must've just arrived. Casey walks over to her Coordinator friend and greets her politely before asking the question burning in the back of her mind.

She glances over at Brock and gestures to Ash and Pikachu, who are still frantically screaming and rushing around, "What's up with those two?"

"Let's just say that they aren't a huge fan of their medicine." Brock chuckles.

It doesn't exactly answer her question, but Casey figures that there's no point in trying to find out anything else and instead chooses to speak to Zoey instead. She turns to her red-haired friend with a warm smile, "So, Zoey, what are you doing here?"

"Excuse me." Zoey loses her chance to speak when Nurse Joy approaches the group, albeit rather timidly, and directs her attention towards Casey, "Casey, there's a video call for you."

"Really?" Casey asks, rather surprised to hear that somebody's calling her. Who would be calling her? It wouldn't be her grandfather since he's absolutely awful with technology, "Who is it?"

"Cynthia."

"Cynthia?!" Zoey gawks beside Casey, looking between the nurse and Casey with wide eyes, "As in the Champion Cynthia?"

"Yes." Nurse Joy says, "She called and specifically requested to talk to Casey. She's waiting on one of the videophones."

Casey can't help but be taken aback by Nurse Joy's explanation. Cynthia called and requested to speak to her? Why? Sure, she's met Cynthia a couple of times before, but why would somebody as important as the Champion take the time out of her evening to speak to her? When she thinks about that, Casey realises that she's probably being really rude by leaving Cynthia waiting around.

She takes a glance over at her friends, knowing that she should ask them if she can go answer the call just out of curtesy, but Brock speaks up before she gets the chance, "Don't keep her waiting too long, Casey."

Casey smiles gratefully over at Brock before saying goodbye to the others. She follows after Nurse Joy as she leads her to where the videophones are located along the back wall of the lobby. Nobody is in the area, but that doesn't really surprise Casey considering how late it is. She wouldn't have expected the area to be bustling.

"It's the videophone on the far left." Nurse Joy says, gesturing to the videophone at the end of the row. She nods her head towards her desk back at the front of the lobby, "I'll be at my desk if you need anything."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy."

The kindly nurse nods before walking over to her desk, leaving Casey stood alone at the videophone station. The young trainer, eager to hear what Cynthia has to say, rushes over to the correct videophone, still astonished when she sees that Cynthia is indeed on the screen.

"Hi, Casey."

"Hi, Cynthia." Casey smiles, though she's concerned that she may look slightly awkward, "How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you." Cynthia replies politely, "I was actually calling to see how you are."

"How I am?"

Cynthia nods, "I know that something happened back in Amity Square, and I have a feeling that you haven't talked to your friends about it. Am I right in thinking that?"

Casey sighs. Cynthia sure is perceptive, but, then again, that's the kind of quality that a Champion should possess, "It-It's ridiculous, really. It's not worth talking about."

"And why is that?"

Casey laughs dryly, "Because it makes me sound like a nut job."

"Tell me about it." Cynthia says, a steady and commanding tone present in her voice, "Keeping things to yourself can become a problem in the future. It could throw you off in an important battle."

"I was fine in the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition. My partner and I won it."

"I know. I saw it on TV."

Casey's eyes go wide in shock at that, "You did?"

The last thing she expected was for Cynthia to sit down and watch competitions on TV, let alone watch her in a competition.

"I admire your skill in battle, Casey. I don't admire your negligence to your own personal problems." Cynthia says, her tone switching to a more serious and adamant one, "You don't have to talk to me about it, but at least talk to your friends about it."

Casey sighs again. She knows that Cynthia's right. She just doesn't want to admit that. Still, she'd much rather talk to Cynthia about it than her friends. She sees her friends everyday and she knows that they have their own things to think and worry about. They don't need to hear about her personal problems.

"I...I saw something back in Amity Square." Casey gulps, "Something that I can't explain."

"Well, maybe I can explain it. If you don't mind, can you describe what you saw?"

Casey gulps again. She hasn't really given the situation much thought since the day it happened, so it feels strange to her to start now. But, at the same, it almost feels...uplifting to be able to talk about it. She can't really explain it.

"It was dark for the most part, but there was this...beacon of light in the distance. I could hear these voices too."

"What were the voices saying?"

Casey shrugs, "Something about an International Policeman and their boss' plans."

"Do you know who their boss is?"

"I don't even know who they are! I don't understand any of this, Cynthia! This is exactly why I don't want to think about it! It's all just in my head! Don't you get that?!"

Casey's eyes go wide as soon as she stops yelling. She instantly slaps her hand over her mouth, looking back at the surprisingly calm Champion in panic.

 _I just yelled at the Champion! The Champion! What was I thinking?!_

"I don't think that it's all in your head, Casey."

Casey's instantly taken aback by Cynthia's calm and short response. She had half been expecting the Champion to shout back at her or even just hang up, but yet she still shows concern and interest for what she saw. Then again, Cynthia does have a rather calm temperament, so she shouldn't be too surprised.

"You don't?"

Cynthia shakes her head, "No. I don't know what it is just yet, but there has to be a reason why you saw what you did. Now that I know more, I'll look into it and try to find out more about it, if that's okay with you?"

 _It couldn't hurt, I suppose._

Casey nods and gives Cynthia a thankful smile, "Thanks, Cynthia. That'd be helpful."

"So, where are you headed next?" Cynthia asks, surprising Casey by abruptly changing the subject. It's not like Casey minds it. She loves talking about her upcoming gym battles much like how Ash does.

"We're heading for the Veilstone City Gym, actually." Casey replies, "We tried to challenge the Hearthome City Gym, but the Gym Leader wasn't there. That's why we entered the Tag Battle Competition. We needed something to do."

"Hmm, Hearthome City you say?" Cynthia murmurs, her finger pressed to the bottom of her chin as she appears to be in deep thought, "I'll have to look into that when I get a moment."

"Hey, Cynthia!"

Casey turns around when she hears Ash call out. The raven-haired trainer is approaching the videophone with a broad smile on his face, Pikachu as chirpy as ever on his shoulder. Cynthia greets them warmly when they reach the videophone, "Hi, Ash. Pikachu. How are your Gym Battles going?"

And that's how Casey spends her next twenty minutes: half listening to Ash tell Cynthia about how their journey is going. She would put all of her attention in their conversation, but her mind ends up drifting elsewhere, specifically to her own conversation with Cynthia. She has to admit that she feels slightly better having talked about the situation, but it's all still an enigma to her, and all that does is scare her. Even with the promised help from Cynthia, she can't help but feel afraid.

She just can't.

* * *

She sighs as she reclines back into the surprisingly soft leather chair in the far corner of the Pokemon Center, her eyes shut in deep thought. She knows that she could join her friends outside and join in with their training, but she hasn't been able to stop thinking about her conversation with Cynthia since last night. Sure, to an outsider looking in the conversation may not seem that important, but to Casey it's more important than anything she can understand. As much as she hates to admit it, everything that Cynthia said was right. She has been avoiding all of her personal problems in favour for other things, and like it or not she's going to have to confront those problems eventually. Her conversation with Cynthia gave her the chance to do just that, despite her admittedly still being rather reluctant to do so.

"Mon?"

She opens up her eyes and smiles over at Monferno, the Playful Pokemon looking back at her with curiosity in his eyes, "What's up, pal?"

"Mon-ferno! Mon! Monferno?"

"Okay, okay! Chill, pal! Chill!" Casey laughs at his frantic comments, giving him a reassuring smile as she makes him quieten down, "I'm all good, pal. I'm just thinking."

"Mon?"

"Just stuff. I promise that I'll tell you about it soon, okay? I just need more time to think about it." Casey says, though Monferno still doesn't seem convinced. She figures that it's best for her to change the subject, so she stands up from her chair and smiles down at Monferno, "How about we go and find the others, yeah? Sound good?"

He still doesn't look fully convinced, but he does listen to her. He jumps down from the seat that he's perched on and follows his trainer as she walks through the Pokemon Center in search of their friends, finally finding them sat at the opposite corner of the facility.

The first thing that she notices is that Nurse Joy is sat with them, which initially catches her off guard. Nurse Joy's always busy doing her job after all, so she wouldn't be sat with them unless it was for an important reason. She also notices just how glum Ash and Dawn look. They both look really down about something and so do Aipom and Buizel, both Pokemon sat beside their respective trainers.

"Hey, guys." Casey greets as she and Monferno take a seat alongside Zoey. She directs her attention towards Ash and Dawn, the two dismal trainers sat opposite her, "Why do you two look so down?"

"They're a bit stuck on something." Zoey says.

"What is it?" Casey asks, looking over at her saddened friends with a warm smile. She wants to help them out if she can, "I might be able to help you guys out, so hit me with it."

"You see, I know how much Aipom loves Pokemon Contests."

"And I know how much Buizel loves to battle." Dawn adds, her voice sounding just as glum as Ash's was before her, "But we don't know if we can go through with it."

"Go through with what?"

"A Pokemon Trade."

Casey sucks in a harsh breath at that. Pokemon Trades sure are difficult to go through with. On the one hand, it's exciting as you're getting a new Pokemon to raise and battle alongside, but at the same time you're losing a Pokemon that you've formed such a strong bond with and have so many great memories with. Casey's had her own experience when it comes to Pokemon Trades, and though it was a while ago it's something that she still thinks about even now.

 _Maybe I can reassure them by telling them what happened._

In that moment, Casey decides exactly what she needs to do to help out her friends. She needs to reminisce.

"Did I ever tell you guys about my Seadra?" She asks, her friends silently shaking their heads in response, "Well, back when I was travelling through Kanto, I caught a Horsea. I travelled around with Horsea for a long time, and I even raised it to the point where it evolved into a Seadra."

"Wow, Casey! That's incredible!" Brock compliments.

The others echo Brock's sentiment, to which Casey thanks them with a warm smile before continuing on with her story, "Seadra _was_ incredible. It was super strong, and for a long time we made a great team. But, around the time that I earned by fifth badge in Kanto, I began to notice that Seadra's heart just wasn't set on battling."

"What do you mean?"

"Seadra loved to swim to its hearts content. A lot of the time when training in water, Seadra would get distracted and just swim about. It took me a while to realise, but soon I figured out that Seadra preferred to swim freely that swim around whilst battling. At first I didn't know what to do about it, but then when I was travelling back through Vermillion City I met a trainer called Lonnie." Casey explains, her friends and Nurse Joy listening eagerly as she talks, "Lonnie was actually the coach of a popular all-Pokemon swim team."

"An all-Pokemon swim team?" Ash asks, confusion settling in across his face at the introduction of such an obscure concept.

"They travel all over and compete in races against other Pokemon swim teams from across the world." Casey clarifies, some of the confusion disappearing from Ash's face at the clarification. He still looks rather confused, but that's just how Ash is so Casey keeps on talking despite it, "When I met Lonnie, I instantly thought that Seadra would find it interesting, so I asked if we could come along to one of their practice sessions. One thing led to another and Seadra ended up getting involved in the practice session and Lonnie was instantly impressed by how fast Seadra was in the water. She had asked me if I ever considered letting Seadra compete on an all-Pokemon swim team, but I told her that I hadn't. That was when she suggested that I trade her Seadra for one of her Pokemon."

"Seriously?!" Dawn asks, clearly taken aback hearing such an abrupt decision, "Just like that?"

Casey nods, "At first I was apprehensive about it all, but then she told me about one of the Pokemon on her swim team. She had a Squirtle that, to be quite frank, had no interest in being on the team. Apparently it would sneak out of practice sessions and practice battling around the back of the facility because all it wanted to do was battle."

"So what did you do next?"

"I met the Squirtle and we got along instantly. It was incredibly friendly and a skilled battler from what I saw. It was clear that what Lonnie told me was the truth." Casey says, sighing slightly as she thinks back on it, "So, I asked Seadra what it wanted to do. I asked if it wanted to go with Lonnie and her swim team or stay with me."

"What did it do?"

"Let's just say that I haven't seen Seadra since."

Both Ash and Dawn look at her pitifully, the latter of the two speaking up first in an apologetic voice, "Oh, I'm sorry, Casey."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. In fact, it was one of the greatest things I've ever done." Casey replies, both of their eyes going wide at her statement. She has to stifle a laugh at their reaction, "Yeah. I mean, Seadra got the chance to do what it wanted with its life instead of being forced into something else. Plus, I raised that Squirtle until it evolved into a Wartortle and I even competed in the Indigo Conference alongside that Wartortle. It's the reason I got to the finals, actually."

"So, in the end, it all turned out okay?"

"That's right, and not just for me." Casey smiles, "At the end of the day, it's up to the trainer to do what's best for the Pokemon. It's our job to adjust around what our Pokemon want and need to do. That's what separates the good trainers from the great ones."

"Whoa, I never thought of it that way!" Ash replies honestly, pausing briefly as he seems to go into a state of deep thought. Casey's about to ask him if he's okay when he suddenly jolts back to life again, looking over at Dawn with a wide smile on his face, "I just got a great idea!"

"What is it?"

"I'll team up with Buizel and have a battle with Casey whilst you team up with Aipom and have a contest battle against Zoey!"

"I get it!" Brock remarks, "You're testing to see whether or not you're compatible!"

"That's right!" Ash nods over at his long-time friend before glancing back to the bluenette sat beside him, "So, what do you say, Dawn?"

"Sure, let's do it!"

* * *

"Dratini, light it up!"

Casey throws Dratini's Pokeball out onto the battlefield with gusto, the small Dragon Pokemon bursting out of her capsule with a defiant battle cry. She instantly scans the battlefield for her opponent, her body becoming rigid when she notices Buizel stood on the opposite side. She glances back at Casey with a look of nothing but confusion in her eyes, her trainer holding back a laugh when she sees just how confused the Dragon Pokemon is.

"Buizel's battling with Ash today, Dratini. You've had practice battles with Buizel before. You know what to do."

The confusion fades away from Dratini's eyes and the Dragon Pokemon gives her trainer a confident nod, turning back towards her opponent with a steeled look in her eyes.

 _Oh, yeah! Dratini's ready for this!_

"Alright, Dratini, let's start this off with-!"

"Why you poor, poor, lost young people!"

Casey pauses abruptly when she hears an oddly familiar feminine voice calls out suddenly. Even Dawn and Zoey pause their contest battle to look over at the oddly dressed woman as she approaches alongside a small...man? Casey doesn't exactly know what the other person (if they are a person) is, but she does know that they are as oddly dressed as the woman.

"Do we know you?" Dawn asks, walking over to the group along with Zoey and Brock, their Pokemon following in tow, "You look awfully familiar."

The oddly dressed woman frantically shakes her head at the accusations, which is something that Casey can't help but find suspicious, "Unless you've used our Pokemon-o-pair service, then no."

"See, we raise folks Pokemon and we'll raise yours!"

 _Pokemon-o-pair service? What in the world is that supposed to be?_

Casey looks at them skeptically. This doesn't seem right to her. She can't explain it, but something about these people just seems off to her. She doesn't trust them, that's for sure.

"Jessie! Meowth! What are you two doing?"

It seems that Casey's suspicions were spot on, as none other than James is approaching the oddly dressed people alongside his Carnivine, a confused expression written across his face. The others all seem to be confused as the strange people rush towards James, but it doesn't take Casey long to figure it out.

"Team Rocket!" She calls out to the nefarious crooks angrily, Dratini joining her in staring defiantly at the villains, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Casey's once again caught off guard when the evil trio flat out ignore her and seemingly begin to cry, though she can't figure out why they're doing so. They were fine a few moments ago and now they're bawling their eyes out. It doesn't make any sense.

"Uh, what's going on?" Ash asks, looking at Team Rocket with a confused expression on his face.

"Believe me, Ash, that's just what I want to know."

"No matter how weak and feeble I will not let their efforts go in vain!" James yells out abruptly. The tearful bluenette of the trio turns around from the sobbing group and points towards Casey and her friends, shouting with gusto at the group of young trainers, "Let's go, Carnivine!"

The Bug Catcher Pokemon moves away from its trainer and gets into a battle stance, ready to fire off an attack at a moments notice. Jessie, who's still dressed up in her ridiculous disguise, follows his lead and sends out her own Pokemon, both Dustox and Seviper bursting out of their Pokeballs in bright flashes of light.

"Dustox use Psybeam, let's go!"

"Quick, Carnivine! Use Bullet Seed!"

Both attacks catch Casey and her friends off guard, as none of them react in time to block the attacks from landing around them, effectively distracting them completely from Team Rocket momentarily. Jessie decides to take this time to plan her next attack, "Alright, Seviper! Use Haze!"

Seviper's obeys its trainers command and fires off the Ice-Type attack, cloaking the surrounding area in a cloud of thick, black smoke. Casey quickly covers her mouth and nose to avoid inhaling any of the intoxicating smoke as Ash springs into action, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a single Pokeball.

"Staravia, use Gust, now!"

He throws the Pokeball up into the air and Staravia bursts out of it, instantly using the move that Ash has commanded it to. It manages to clear away the smoke, revealing the now non-disguised Team Rocket to the group stood in their usual flashy stances.

 _It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's coming next._

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?"

"It's speaking to me loud and clear."

 _Okay, I've had enough of this._

"Give it up, you three!" Casey yells, completely cutting off Team Rocket's attempts at reciting their motto, "Cut this out right now or I'll-!"

"Hold it, shrimpy twerpette!" Meowth says abruptly in his usual teasing voice.

 _Shrimpy? I'm not shrimpy! How am I shrimpy?_

"If you do anything, you'll have to say goodbye to your Pokemon pals!"

At first Casey and the others are highly confused by Meowth's statement, but it all becomes clear when Seviper and Carnivine appear out of what seems like nowhere, Zoey's Glameow and her Dratini held captive in their respective grips.

Casey's glare intensifies at the sight of Dratini being restricted in Seviper's coil-like grip. She speaks to the cruel crooks before her in a low yet forceful tone, "Let Dratini and Glameow go right now!"

"Let me think about that for a second...not a chance, twerpette!" Jessie taunts, clearly enjoying the power that they have over them. Using that power to her advantage, Jessie orders her Pokemon to send out another powerful attack, "Use Psybeam, Dustox!"

Casey's surprised when Jessie's Dustox fires off its Psybeam attack directly at her, the multicolored beam striking her directly in the chest and sending her flying backwards. She feels the wind get knocked right out of her as she slams down onto the ground, a crushing pain throbbing at her chest where she was struck. She tries to push herself up off of the ground, but she doesn't get very far before the pain in her chest intensifies, forcing her to lay back down on the ground again.

"Casey!" Zoey calls out to her as she and Brock rush over to her, looking down at her with deep concern, "Are you alright?!"

Casey gives her a slight nod as she attempts to push herself up again, falling short when the pain at her chest continues to take its toll. Brock seems to notice this as he reaches out and grabs her shoulder, carefully and slowly helping her sit up.

"Hey, take it easy."

Casey shakes her head stubbornly, trying her best to stand up from the ground, "We've got to stop Team Ro-!"

 _"We're blasting off again!"_

Casey stops instantly when she hears the panicked voices of Jessie, James and Meowth in the far distance; she looks up to the sky and sees them spiralling at breakneck speed into the horizon just before they disappear from view.

"Great job, Buizel!"

"You were awesome, Aipom!"

Casey directs her attention towards her friends and she can't help but smile when she sees just how happy they look. Buizel's stood beside Ash whilst Aipom's stood beside Dawn, and to Casey both the trainers and Pokemon look happier than they ever have before. Despite her dazed state, it doesn't take long for her to figure out what happened: Ash and Dawn must've dealt with Team Rocket whilst she was incapacitated.

Dratini and Glameow, now free from Team Rocket's grasp, run over to their trainers, both Casey and Zoey relieved to see that they're both okay. Sure, Casey wasn't exactly much help, but at the end of the day she's just glad that Dratini and Glameow are safe and that Ash and Dawn can work well with Buizel and Aipom respectively. She has no doubt that they'll go through with the Pokemon trade now.

* * *

 **Hi, everybody! Sorry its been a while since I last updated, I've been super busy! Despite that, I hope that ya'll enjoy this chapter and leave a review if you do! Thanks for reading!**


	16. Journeying Through Ruins

_Casey directs her attention towards her friends and she can't help but smile when she sees just how happy they look. Buizel's stood beside Ash whilst Aipom's stood beside Dawn, and to Casey both the trainers and Pokemon look happier than they ever have before. Despite her dazed state, it doesn't take long for her to figure out what happened: Ash and Dawn must've dealt with Team Rocket whilst she was incapacitated._

 _Dratini and Glameow, now free from Team Rocket's grasp, run over to their trainers, both Casey and Zoey relieved to see that they're both okay. Sure, Casey wasn't exactly much help, but at the end of the day she's just glad that Dratini and Glameow are safe and that Ash and Dawn can work well with Buizel and Aipom respectively. She has no doubt that they'll go through with the Pokemon trade now._

* * *

"Aipom, Swift, go!"

Aipom does as Dawn's commands and releases an onslaught of golden stars from its tail. The stars curl around Casey, Ash and Brock, who are stood just opposite Dawn as they watch her train for her upcoming contest. Aipom then uses its Focus Punch attack to knock a single star into the fast-spinning circle of stars above their heads, that one star ricocheting around the circle before breaking it up, sprinkling golden stardust over the nearby area. It sure is a beautiful combination.

"That was awesome, Aipom!" Casey compliments as the Long Tail Pokemon perches on Dawn's shoulder, "You and Dawn make a great team!"

"Thanks! We've been making lots of changes to Focus Punch to make it look great!"

They arrived in Solaceon Town only yesterday. It is where the next Pokemon Contest is after all, and considering that it's on the way to Veilstone City, it only made sense to stop there for the Pokemon Contest. It's the perfect chance for Dawn to bounce back after her loss in Hearthome City, after all.

"Piplup, can you be our opponent?"

Casey watches with curiosity as Dawn has Piplup use Bubblebeam up in the air. At first she's incredibly confused, but it all becomes clear with Aipom's next attack.

"Aipom, use Focus Punch!"

Aipom leaps up into the air and begins to punch at the numerous water bubbles in the air, punching so fast that it looks as if it's punching more than one bubble at once! It looks like Aipom's got two tails!

"What's that?!" Ash gasps, watching Aipom perform the move with awe, "It's like Aipom's got two tails! That's awesome!"

"I wanted it to look like Aipom's attacking two places at once with just one Focus Punch."

Casey listens to Dawn with innate interest; that last part really catches her attention. From what she's hearing, it sounds like Aipom's learnt a new move. Casey's sure that she's heard of a move like that before. She decides to check the Pokedex just in case and she's quick to find a move description that matches the criteria that Dawn's described.

 _"Double Hit. A single attack that causes damage twice."_

"Double Hit?" Dawn peers over at Casey's Pokedex curiously, "What's that all about?"

Casey pockets her Pokedex and nods over at Aipom with a smirk, "That's the move that Aipom just used. You taught it a new move, Dawn."

"I did?"

Dawn seems both happy and surprised to learn about Aipom's new move, and Casey can't deny that her reaction is kinda priceless. She's seen that kind of reaction before though, and in all honesty she probably does the exact same thing a lot of the time without even realising it. Still, it is nice to see another trainer experience the joy of the accomplishment of discovering a new move, even if they didn't realise it at first.

"I'd say Aipom's pretty close to evolving after learning that move." Brock remarks.

 _Evolve, huh? What does Aipom evolve into anyway?_

"Really! I wonder what that would be!"

"Ambipom."

Casey and the others turn around when they hear a familiar voice call out to them, all of them smiling when they see that it's Kenny, Dawn's old friend who's also an aspiring coordinator. He must be here to compete in the upcoming Contest.

"The evolved form of Aipom is Ambipom." He says, a confident and knowing smirk plastered across his face as he approaches.

"Kenny!" Dawn smiles at her long time friend, wasting no time in greeting him hello, "How's it going?"

"Great!" He replies honestly, a sudden mischievous glint flickering in his eyes. Casey has a feeling that she knows that's coming, "Though I am surprised that you didn't even know the evolved form of Aipom, Dee-Dee."

"Don't ever call me Dee-Dee again!"

Casey stifles a laugh at Dawn's sudden outburst. She really hates being called Dee-Dee, though she, Ash and Brock haven't got a clue why. They don't even know why he calls her Dee-Dee.

Casey figures that she may as well try and find out.

"Why exactly do you call her Dee-Dee, anyway?" She asks as she looks over at Dawn, the bluenette turning her angry attention towards her in an instant.

Dawn practically knocks her over in order to make her be quiet. She's quick to slap her hand over Casey's mouth to prevent her from saying anything else, staring at with a murderous glare. Seriously, if looks could kill, Casey would be eight feet under right now.

"Don't you even dare, Casey! Don't you dare!"

Casey holds her hands up in surrender, backing up from Dawn with a fearful expression on her face. Dawn sure is terrifying when she's mad, "Okay! Okay, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Her apology seems to be enough for Dawn as the fiery bluenette chooses to back away, much to the relief of Casey and the amusement of the guys. Usually Casey would find Dawn's often overdramatic outbursts funny, but it's a whole other ballgame when that outburst is directed towards you. It's absolutely horrifying to say the least.

"So, you'll be in the contest right?" Kenny asks, Casey silently thanking him for moving the topic of conversation along to something else. She doesn't know if she can cope if Dawn gets mad again.

"Of course!"

"That's great!" Kenny replies with a friendly smile, "It was too bad about Hearthome City."

Casey glances over at Dawn in concern. She knows that Contest losses are a sensitive topic for her; she notices that her face goes dark for a moment as she turns away from Kenny, something that's half a grimace yet half a wistful smile coming to her face. The last thing that Casey wants is for her to get upset about it.

"This time there's no need to worry!" Dawn looks back to Kenny with a wide smile on her face, "I'm ready!"

 _Well, that sure was a surprising response._

"I'm glad to hear that!" Kenny smiles before directing his attention to Ash and Casey, "So, Ash, Casey. How many badges do you guys have now?"

"Just the two." Casey replies swiftly, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing her badge case to show Kenny the badges, "We've both got Oreburgh's and Eterna's."

"Wow! That's awesome!" Kenny compliments, "You guys sure have been working hard!"

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Ash suddenly proclaims, looking over at Kenny with a determined expression on his face. Casey recognises that expression: it's Ash's battle face, "Kenny, why don't we finish up our battle?"

Kenny looks apprehensive about the idea almost instantly, so Casey isn't surprised when he declines the offer. What does surprise her, however, is what he says he's doing instead of taking up the battle offer.

"I was just heading on over to see Dialga and Palkia right now."

Casey practically does a double take. She, and the others, stare at Kenny with wide eyes, confusion plastered across their faces and their mouths agape in shock at his statement.

"What?!"

* * *

Casey can't help but be in awe as Kenny leads them to the exterior of the apparently infamous Solaceon Ruins. When he had said that he was going to see Dialga and Palkia, it turns out that he actually meant he was going to see the statues of the Space-Time Legends at the Solaceon Ruins. Sure, they aren't the real things, but Casey has to admit that they are rather awesome.

"These are the Solaceon Ruins, the ruins of the temple where people once paid tribute to Dialga and Palkia." Kenny explains, coming to a halt near the front entrance to the ruins, "There are lots of places like this in Sinnoh."

Casey knows that Kenny's right about that. Sure she hadn't heard about the Solaceon Ruins before today, but she seems to remember her grandfather telling her all about ancient sites scattered across the region when she was much younger. People in Sinnoh really do treasure the Space-Time Legend.

"Look here!"

Casey heads over to Dawn when the bluenette suddenly calls out. She's stood by what seems to be some kind of ancient carving. Though the letters on said carving have suffered the effects of time and exposure, she can still make out the phrase that is written on the stone, and it turns out to be a phrase that she recognises.

 _"When every life meets another life, something will be born."_

Casey can't help but smile at that. Of course she knows it as of curtesy of Cynthia, who told them that exact phrase back in Amity Square a while back. Sure, Amity Square was a rather...unorthodox experience for Casey to say the least, but at least she can look back on it with a smile when she thinks about that phrase.

She still doesn't understand what it means, but it still fascinates her all the same. In fact a lot of things about the Sinnoh Space-Time Legend fascinates her and when given the opportunity she's eager to expand her knowledge on the subject.

And right now, she sees an opportunity to do just that in the ruins. It may sound kinda off, but she wants to go exploring, though she doesn't know how to express that to her friends. Ash and Kenny are both stood to the side along with Dawn, the two boys discussing something about their proposed battle from earlier; Casey doesn't want to interrupt their conversation just tell them that she's walking off and leaving them. It just seems blatantly rude to her.

Thankfully Brock, being as observant as ever, seems to practically read her mind, as the tall boy gestures off to the front entrance to the ruins with a knowing smile.

"We'll wait out here. It'll give Ash and Kenny the chance to have that battle."

Casey gives Brock a thankful smile, silently expressing her gratitude for his understanding nature. She takes the chance that she's been granted and walks up the stone staircase leading into the ruins, taking a deep breath before stepping inside the historical site.

 _Oh, yeah! This is gonna be awesome!_

* * *

" _From itself, two beings the Original One did make._ _Time started to spin. Space began to expand."_

Casey reads yet another inscription with vivid interest, ensuring that she takes mental notes of the phrase like those before it. She kinda wishes that she brought a notebook along with her in order to take notes, but in hindsight that was never in the realm of possibility. She didn't even know about these ruins just a few hours prior. Still, the fascinated young trainer has spent her admittedly short time in the ruins taking mental notes of everything that she's seen and read; her interest continues to increase the longer she remains in the ruins.

A lot of the things that she's read about have revolved around time and space, though that's a given considering that these ruins revolve around Dialga and Palkia. She's also seen the 'Original One' mentioned across various different inscriptions, though she doesn't have a clue who or what the 'Original One' is. It's just another mystery to add to the list, which in her eyes only warrants further exploration.

Of course, said exploration is kinda hard when what your exploring is the equivalent of an overcomplicated labyrinth. Casey's been exploring for so long that she's honestly not sure where she is anymore. All she knows is that she's definitely not on the bottom floor of the ruins anymore as she seems to recall walking up numerous stone staircases during her time in the ruins.

What she needs right now is a waypoint. Something that can give her a sense of where she is; a beacon of light and hope to find her way out of the ruins that, as much as she loves to explore, she's got to leave at some point.

Funnily enough, she receives that 'beacon of light and hope' that she was wishing for, though she feels as if the statement was taken rather literally.

She pauses abruptly when she notices a bright source of light shining out just ahead of her. It's shining through a relatively small gap between the floor of the ruins that she's on and the one below it; she could just about squeeze through the gap if she tried.

 _What in the world is that?_

After a brief spell of hesitation the young trainer decides to go and investigate. She crosses the distance between herself and the gap exposing the light, kneeling down and peering through it once she's close enough to investigate further.

What she sees is a shock to say the least.

"Yes. Exactly as our leader said."

An unfamiliar man is stood in the middle of a small chamber along with a Bronzor and two other people who look awfully similar to each other; they look more like clones than people, though Casey knows that's impossible. One thing that they all share in common is their attire. Though the blue-haired man's clothing differs slightly from that of the other two people, all of their clothes have the bold letter 'G' emblazoned on them. Casey doesn't have a clue what the 'G' stands for, though she does come to the logical conclusion that the people must all know each other and are here as a collective. It's almost as if they're wearing some kind of uniform...

She's soon distracted from the people in the room by the source of bright light in the middle of the chamber. It's some kind of triangular carving that's being lit up somehow; Casey also notices that certain carvings that look awfully similar to letters are beginning to glow as well, which is something that the blue haired man seems to be pleased about.

"It's been a long time Team Rocket."

 _Team Rocket?!_

Casey hadn't even noticed that the nefarious trio were here so it comes as a shock when the three of them fearfully step into the room from behind an opening in the chamber.

What are they doing here? When did they even get here?

Out of the glowing ground a small golden cube arises as the last of the carvings on the wall begins to glow brightly. Casey still doesn't have a clue what's going on, but she does know that the only way she'll find out is if she keeps watching, no matter how bizarre the whole situation seems.

"Tell me, know what this is?" The blue haired man asks, not bothering to look over at Team Rocket as he stares at the floating cube before him. Casey notes that he seems transfixed on the obscure object.

"Treasure, sir!"

"That which will transform Sinnoh's Space-Time into reality."

 _What in the world does that mean?_

Casey doesn't exactly have the time to ponder on that, as what happens next captivates all of her attention almost instantly. Much to her surprise the glowing 'carvings' on the walls of the chamber begin to materialise and extract themselves from the wall; soon the entire chamber is filled with what Casey assumes are Pokemon, though she's unsure since she's never seen this kind of Pokemon before. The 'Pokemon's' eyes are closed, but Casey knows that they can't be asleep because they're moving ever so slightly.

She reaches into her pocket and withdraws her Pokedex, hoping that the high-tech device can provide her with the answers that she needs. She aims the device at the first Pokemon she sets her sights on, which just so happens to look similar to the letter 'C'.

 _"Unown, the Symbol Pokémon. Unown use telepathy to communicate with each other. Many different shapes of Unown have been discovered."_

At first she's worried that the people in the chamber below may have heard the robotic voice of her Pokedex but they thankfully don't notice it, even as Casey puts the device back into her pocket and continues to watch everything unfold below her.

"Unown, open!"

The Unown respond to the command of the blue-haired man and snap their eyes open simultaneously, all of them directing their attention to the man that ordered them to awaken. He seems pleased with their reaction.

"We shall change the world! The cube that you now guard contains the very power that will make this all possible!"

The man reaches out and grabs the cube in front of him, which doesn't go down well with the Unown. The angered Symbol Pokemon begin to surge towards the man, who remains surprisingly calm as he gives an order to his Bronzor.

"Alright, Bronzor, Confuse Ray!"

Bronzor's eyes glow purple as it rises above all of the Unown; it release numerous dark purple beams of energy which strike all of the Unown, stopping them dead in their tracks as they cry out in pain and snap their eyes shut. Team Rocket duck down as well to avoid the rays and as they do the three mysterious people and Bronzor decide to take their leave. They slip past Team Rocket and walk through the main entrance to the chamber, the golden cube firmly in the hands of the blue-haired man as they head for a nearby staircase.

She still doesn't know who they are or what they want, but she knows that they aren't good people. They stole something that belongs to the Unown and chose to terrorize them for absolutely no reason, and for that reason alone Casey knows that she _has_ to go after them.

She moves away from the gap where she is looking into the chamber and begins to search the nearby area for the mysterious people. She knows that they're on the same level of the ruins as her as she watched them head up a staircase only moments ago. It's just a matter of her figuring out exactly where they are.

"We have five minutes to reach the rendezvous point, sir."

She pauses abruptly when she hears a gruff voice just around a nearby corner. She quickly ducks behind a nearby stone slab with yet another inscription upon it as the mysterious people turn the corner, the gruff voice belonging to one of the grunts. She peers over at them cautiously, not wanting to expose her location to them just yet. She still doesn't know how'd they'd react to seeing her, but she has a feeling that they wouldn't like it.

"We have the Spear Key." The blue-haired man smirks, "Reaching the rendezvous point is childs play at this point."

"Yes, sir!" The grunts respond in unison, continuing to march behind the other man in perfect sync. They're clearly the subordinates to him.

Casey watches with bated breath as the three mysterious individuals turn another corner, breathing a sigh of relief when they're out of sight. That relief is short though as the perceptive trainer is quick to think back to why she hid in the first place. She needs to find out what they're up to. With that in mind, she cautiously moves out of her hiding place and begins to head on after the people, treading as lightly as she can to avoid gaining their attention. She's gonna need the element of surprise on her side in order to pull this off.

She relies on that element of surprise as she carefully follows after the group of mysterious people through the ruins; she almost bursts into cheers when she sees a exit a couple of minutes later. She moves to stand at the exit as the people step outside, cautiously glancing through at them from where she's concealed behind the entranceway as she listens in on them.

"How long until they arrive?"

One of the grunts looks down at a watch on his left wrist before looking back up to the blue-haired man, "Two minutes, Commander Saturn."

 _Saturn, huh? So that's his name._

Casey looks over at Saturn with intrigue. He's the boss here for sure but the question is, what is he the boss of? They called him 'Commander Saturn', so he has to be a part of something. An organization perhaps? That's something that she's desperate to find out.

 **Beep! Beep! Beep!**

Casey's eyes go wide when her Pokétch suddenly begins to beep on her wrist for no apparent reason. Just her luck that her Pokétch decides to play up at this time. She's never had any problems with it before and it chooses to go wrong now? The sudden beeping noise doesn't go unnoticed by Saturn and his goons, as the three of them turn around before Casey can even switch off the inconvenient device.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing?!"

She tries to make a run for it, not really thinking straight through her panic. Despite her attempts at getting away the two grunts easily catch up to her and put an instant stop to her efforts. They effortlessly grab her by the arms and pull her back outside of the ruins to Saturn, who stares down at her with a scowl plastered on his face.

"What are you doing here?!"

"I suppose I should ask you the same thing." Casey replies, gulping heavily as she tries to wash away her fear. Saturn sure is trying to intimidate her. She motions down to the cube in his hands, "You stole that Spear Key from the Unown. You might want to give it back."

"You might want to watch your mouth!" Saturn scowls, "I asked you a simple question and I expect an answer! What are you doing here?!"

Casey chooses to once again not give him the satisfaction of an answer. She directs her attention towards the Spear Key in his hands instead, speaking to Saturn in an almost mocking tone, "Why is it called a Spear Key, anyway? It sure doesn't look like a key or a spear."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. You are just an insolent child." Saturn responds, a rather self-confident smirk plastered across his face, "You could never understand the complexity of our genius plan."

"What plan are you-?"

She doesn't get the chance to finish that question before she feels a sudden surge of familiar power course through her body, taking over her body just like it did back at Amity Square. She closes her eyes in order to centre her thoughts, to ground herself from this power, and when she opens her eyes she's surprised by what she sees before her.

 _"What have you done?!"_

 _She's seeing something again. She knows that right off the bat. It's like before, though this place is much brighter. She can see where she's going, though she can't tell where she is. She's in some kind of dark void, though at least she can see the people around her this time. On the one side is a familiar face: Gary Oak. He's stood there, his face contorted with anger as he stares at the three people directly opposite him. She may have only met Gary once, but he didn't even look this mad after the whole situation with the Shieldon. Whatever's happened here sure has got him riled up._

 _She recognises one as Saturn instantly, his unique blue hair being his defining feature. Two unfamiliar women are stood beside him, their flamboyant hair colors and styles helping them stand out just as much as Saturn. One has long purple hair whilst the other has rather short red hair. She also notices that they're clad in similar_ _uniforms, that oh so familiar golden 'G' visible in the front and centre of all three outfits. They look pleased with themselves._

 _"Excellent work Pokemon Hunter J. I hope that you're not hurt."_

 _Casey's surprised to hear Pokemon Hunter J's name mentioned and she's even more surprised when she sees the nefarious Pokemon Hunter off to the side, taking her usual position atop her coveted Salamence. She's amazed that she hadn't noticed her presence right off the bat._

 _"You see, we couldn't just let ourselves be pushed around by the legendary trio." The purple haired woman chimes in, a confident sneer plastered across her face, "We are the chosen ones, after all."_

 _Casey doesn't have a clue what she means by the 'chosen ones'. What have they been chosen for? If Saturn's involved, she knows that it can't be good._

 _"Hunter J, well done. You have your payment as agreed." Saturn says. The Pokemon Hunter then disembarks without another word, soon disappearing into the dark abyss that surrounds them, Casey watching as she fades away._

 _"Saturn, sir! The legendary trio are secure and ready for transportation, sir!"_

 _Casey turns back towards Saturn and his presumed colleagues as he talks to a grunt, giving him an order before looking over at Gary, "You shouldn't have tried to get in our way, you fool! Our plan will_ _succeed!"_

 _Saturn clearly isn't playing around but nor is Gary, as the riled up boy is quick to respond with his own snide retort, "You'll never get away with this!"_

She snaps back to reality then, panic settling in across her face as she thinks about what she just witnessed. That's the second vision she's had now, though this one was far clearer than the fast. Now she has an idea about who's involved in them, and she has the opportunity to confront one of them right now.

"You know who Pokemon Hunter J is!" She yells, her anger boiling by the second as she glares at the now rather speechless man before her, "You paid her to steal the legendary trio for you! You're using them for something! That's your plan!"

Saturn stands there for a few moments in shock, confusion plastered across his face at her sudden proclamation. He's looking at her as if she's absolutely insane. It's as if he doesn't have a clue what she's on about; that's why what he does next comes as a total shock to Casey.

"Bronzor, use Confuse Ray."

Casey knows what's coming and as of such tries to break away from the vice-like grip of the grunts, but she's unable to do so before Bronzor fires a dark purple beam of energy right at her. Fatigue instantly washes over as her entire body weakens, her attempts at breaking free becoming more futile by the second. She glares up at Saturn as her body slumps, the Commander looking down at her with a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

"Bronzor, now use Hypnosis."

The last thing she sees are Bronzor's glowing eyes before her world goes dark, all of her thoughts of the ruins fading out of her recent memory as she passes out.

* * *

When she next opens her eyes she feels confused and disorientated. She hasn't got a headache or anything, but she definitely feels woozy. It's kinda like waking up bright and early in the morning, except right now she has no clue where she is. There's a light directly above her, though it's not vividly bright or anything like that. It's dim, but that's probably because there's some light pouring into the unfamiliar room from a nearby window. She also comes to the logical conclusion that she's in a bed. The ground is nowhere near as soft as what she's laying on, so she has to be in a bed. The question is, how did she get where she is?

"She's awake!"

Casey almost jumps out of her skin when she hears a familiar feminine voice shout out suddenly; she hears numerous footsteps rush into the room moments later. She does her best to push herself up and have a look, only managing to push herself up enough to lean against the headboard of the bed. Still, it's enough for her to see who's entered the room. It's her friends. Ash, Dawn, Brock. They're all there, and they all look really worried.

She gives them all a tired smile, speaking to them in a groggy and disorientated voice, "Hey, guys. What's up?"

At that moment, the three of them all let out heavy sighs of relief, which only confuses Casey even more.

"What's going on with you three? Why do you look so worried?"

The three of them glance between each other before Brock speaks up, looking at her sympathetically as he speaks to her cautiously, "Casey, you've been asleep for two days. We brought you to the Pokemon Center and you've been asleep ever since."

"Two days?!" She gasps, her eyes going wide as she tries to process that information. How has she been asleep for two days? She doesn't even remember how she fell asleep! And if she was asleep for two days, then she missed...

"Your contest!" She looks at Dawn apologetically, "I missed your contest, Dawn! I'm so sorry!"

Dawn looks at her as if she's crazy, looking at her with disbelief and amusement at her statement, "Don't worry about that, Casey! I think you should be more concerned about yourself than anything!"

"Why should I be concerned about myself? What happened? How did I get here?"

"We found you around the side of the ruins once we got out." Ash says, "I'm telling you, it sure was freaky in there."

Casey looks at him skeptically, "Why was it freaky? What happened?"

The three of them glance over at each other for the second time, which only scares Casey even more. She really wants to know what's going on here because, quite honestly, she has no clue. She can't remember a thing.

"Casey, what's the last thing that you remember?"

Casey sits back as she slips into a spell of deep thought, thinking back to the last thing she remembers before waking up. She remembers watching Dawn train with Aipom. She remembers meeting up with Kenny and heading to the Solaceon Ruins, and she remembers reading the carvings on the outside of the ruins, but no more than that. That's where her memory ends.

"I last remember arriving at the ruins." She says honestly, "What happened after that?"

"Ferno! Mon-ferno!"

Casey looks away from her friends and over at the door to the room when she hears the familiar cry of Monferno, smiling when she sees him rushing into the room. Electabuzz, Dratini and Shellos follow in after Monferno, the four Pokemon rushing over to their recently awoken trainer in excitement. Monferno reaches her first, jumping up onto the small table at the side of her bed and perching himself there. Shellos and Dratini both catch her off guard when they leap up onto the bed, both of them perching at one of her shoulders respectively with affectionate looks on their faces. They're both clearly glad to see her. Electabuzz takes on a much more reserved approach, finding a spot at the side of the room and choosing to observe his trainer from there. Casey doesn't take offence to his response; she knows that's just how Electabuzz operates.

"They sure are glad to see you." Casey glances back to the door to find Zoey stood there, leaning against the door frame with a warm smile on her face. As much as it's nice to see her friend, her arrival only adds to her confusion.

She glances back at Ash, Brock and Dawn with a worried expression on her face, "Tell me everything."

And that's how she spends her morning, listening to just what unfolded two days prior. They tell about how they found her around the side of the ruins passed out and that they brought her straight to the Pokemon Center. How Dawn lost her Contest and why Zoey's here. At the same time, she explains that she can't remember anything past the ruins and, as much as she wishes she could, can't remember what made her fall asleep in the first place.

However, as much as she's confused and honestly rather scared, she's just glad that she's alright, as are her ever supporting friends and Pokemon that are stood by her side. Knowing that, some of her fear diminishes, at least for now.

* * *

 **Hi, everybody! Sorry that its been a while since my last update. I can put that fact down to three things:**

 **1\. I've been super busy these last couple of months thats resulted in me having less time to write.**

 **2\. A lack of motivation has really put me off of the idea of writing for a while. I'm hoping that I'll be able to kick that soon.**

 **3\. A lack of support for the story. I know it sounds ludicrous, but receiving support from readers really does help to motivate a writer. I know it's ridiculous and I know that I've gone on about it before, but reviews, follows and favourites really do make a difference :)!**

 **Anyways, I am quite happy with this chapter. It's sorta the beginning of a long, expansive sub plot that I have going which will really change up the story later on. It's a while away right now, but I hope that you'll all look forward to it.**

 **I don't know exactly when I'll next be able to update, mostly because I'm super busy at the moment, but I hope that y'all eagerly await the next update. That's all I have to say, everybody! I hope that you like the chapter! Have a nice day everybody!**


	17. Helping Out On a Ranch

**Hey, everybody! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but life's been kinda busy right now. I promise to continue updating as regularly as I possibly can, though.**

 **I want to say thanks for the support I've been receiving. Reviews, follows, favourites, all of it. Thank you all so much and I hope that you all continue to read and enjoy the story. Please keep it up, because it truly does make my days brighter!**

 **Anyways, enough of me rambling. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _She glances back at Ash, Brock and Dawn with a worried expression on her face, "Tell me everything."_

 _And that's how she spends her morning, listening to just what unfolded two days prior. They tell about how they found her around the side of the ruins passed out and that they brought her straight to the Pokemon Center. How Dawn lost her Contest and why Zoey's here. At the same time, she explains that she can't remember anything past the ruins and, as much as she wishes she could, can't remember what made her fall asleep in the first place._

 _However, as much as she's confused and honestly rather scared, she's just glad that she's alright, as are her ever supporting friends and Pokemon that are stood by her side. Knowing that, some of her fear diminishes, at least for now._

* * *

Casey sighs contently as she breathes in the fresh countryside air, glad for the opportunity to stretch her legs. Its been a couple of days since she woke up in the Pokemon Center, and she only really got out of the building this morning. She was condemned to her bed by Nurse Joy, who informed her that she had taken a significant knock to her head (something that the nurse picked up on whilst she assessed her for injuries). It was nothing serious, thankfully, but she still needed a couple of days to rest in order to be fighting fit and healthy again.

It wasn't all bad. She did have her Pokemon there with her along with her friends, and even Zoey stayed around for a couple of days to make sure that she was okay, which Casey thought was nice. Still, she'd be lying if she said that she didn't miss the fresh open air that she went without during the time that she was stuck indoors. This place sure has plenty of that.

"Ah!" She sighs, smiling over at Brock as they stroll up yet another hill in the expansive meadow, trailing just behind Ash and Dawn, "It sure is nice to get some fresh air after being stuck in the Pokemon Center these past couple of days! I can't wait to just kick back and relax in the fresh, open air!"

"I agree." Dawn chimes in with a nod, "This'll be the perfect time to kick back a bit and think about my next contest."

"Great! And I think I've found the place to do just that!" Brock says triumphantly, glancing up at them from the guide book in his hands with a gleeful look on his face. He looks proud of himself for some reason, though Casey's not exactly sure what that reason is.

"Where?"

"You just follow me!" Brock shouts cheerfully before beginning to run down the hill, flailing his arm about excitedly as he goes, "You're gonna love this place!"

"Wait, Brock! Slow down!"

Casey, Dawn and Ash rush after Brock as the excited boy rushes ahead of them, clearly unable to wait any longer to reach his destination. Casey's really confused as to where he's leading them considering that they're quite honestly in the middle of nowhere. She has no idea what could be all the way out here, but Brock seems to have found a place. At first, Brock's attempts to locate his place seem futile. Casey, Dawn and Ash are practically breathless from running after him for so long, and it's only when they see what appears to be small hut come into sight that they get the opportunity to slow down and catch their breath.

"Here we are! Presenting the Mountain Hut Maid Cafe!" Brock announces as they come to a halt just outside of the hut, his face still gleeful and teeming with excitement.

Casey takes a moment to observe their destination. A short, railed, stone staircase leads up to the quaint entrance to the red roof topped building; a bright pink sign with pictures of mugs and pitchers stands out boldly upon the front threshold of the building, which gives off a homely and comforting vibe. She can see why Brock was so excited to get here. It's a nice place.

"Maid Cafe?" Dawn muses, "I've never heard of it."

"Brock, how do you even find these kinds of place?" Casey chuckles, looking over at her overexcited friend with a smirk on her face.

"It's like a second home to me!" Brock cries out in protest, sounding somewhat offended at their responses to his destination. Before Casey can try to apologise to him, the former Gym Leader rushes forward and bursts through the front door of the Cafe.

"Brock, wait!"

The three of them follow their Pokemon Breeder friend inside of the Cafe and are instantly greeted warmly by three girls inside.

"Hello! Welcome home!"

 _Welcome home? What in the world are they on about?_

Casey awkwardly makes her way inside of the Cafe, taking a seat at a cosy table in the corner of the room along with Ash and Dawn, who look equally as awkward and confused as she does.

"What do they mean, 'welcome home'?" Ash asks to Brock, who looks so enamoured by the girls that Casey's surprised when he responds to Ash.

"Oh, that?" He says excitedly as he sits down at the table with them, clearly giddy as he does so, "It's just their way of making you feel relaxed and comfortable as if you were at home."

Casey doesn't quite understand what Brock's going on about. She figures that it's nice that the people who work here are so welcoming, but Brock's infatuation with them is kinda off-putting. Then again, this is Brock that she's talking about. Should she really be surprised by how he's acting?

"Here you go." One of the girls, a girl with long purple hair, places four glasses of water on their table with a warm smile.

"Thanks." Casey replies politely as she reaches for her glass. She could really do with some water, especially after rushing after Brock. The whole ordeal left her rather parched. As she sips gratefully on the refreshing liquid, which really helps to quench her thirst, Brock wastes no time in attempting to get to know the girls, giddily asking for their names as he tries his best to come off as charming and cool.

"I'm Spring!" The purple haired girl introduces herself, before being followed shortly by the other two girls,

"Summer!"

The smallest girl of the three is the last to introduce herself, speaking to them in a chirpy voice, "Autumn!"

Casey still feels rather awkward about the whole situation, but she decides that she may feel less awkward if she introduces herself too. She figures that if they all know each other on a first name basis, it'll feel more like a group of acquaintances or friends talking as opposed to strangers - this place is supposed to feel like a second home, after all. She moves to introduce herself to the girls but before she gets the chance, Brock decides that now is the time for him to try and flirt with the girls, as he jumps up from his seat and moves to kneel down beside Spring and Summer, speaking to them in the most seductive voice he can muster.

"If you radiant beauties have some free time after work..."

 _And here we go!_

Not to Casey's, Dawn's or Ash's surprise, Croagunk appears right on cue as per usual, the Toxic Mouth Pokemon delivering a decisive Poison Jab to Brock's lower back and incapacitating them before he can get to far with the girls. All three of them gasp in shock as they watch Croagunk pull an immobile Brock away from them, Spring being the first one to voice her concerns for the injured boy,

"Oh, dear! I hope he's alright!"

Dawn giggles, "With you three, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Dawn's right." Casey adds with a reassuring smile, "Knowing Brock, he'll be rushing back here in just a few moments. He's got enough motivation to, at least."

Dawn and Casey's attempts to reassure the girls seem to work, as the three of them soon relax and change the topic of conversation. Spring looks back to them and offers them a warm smile as she addresses them politely, "So, what will it be?"

"Well, what's looking good today?"

"Our speciality is our farm fresh Miltank Milk." Autumn chimes in, a certain tone of pride in her voice as she supplies them with an answer. Casey's had Miltank Milk before, and from what she remembers it's a delicious beverage. Now she knows exactly what she'll be ordering.

Brock reappears then, rushing towards Spring and Summer and speaking to them with his 'seductive' voice once again, "So true!"

Casey simply deadpans whilst Ash and Dawn both fake out, neither of them overly surprised at his persistent attempts to seduce the girls. It's what Brock does. It's just a shame that he never realises when his attempts aren't working out. It would save him a lot of embarrassment and Poison Jabs to the back, that's for sure.

Still, at least Brock realises rather quickly that this attempt at talking to the girls isn't working out for him, as it's not long before he takes a seat at the table once again, sharing his wisdom on the subject of Miltank Milk with his friends,"Miltank Milk is bursting with vitamins. Nothing could be healthier to drink."

"Brock's right." Casey agrees, "My Grandpa used to order in Miltank Milk for me when I was little. I used to love the stuff. I'm sure that it tastes as good as ever."

"Well, in that case, a round for me and my Pokemon, then!" Ash says fervently, taking Casey and Brock's praise as a good sign.

"Me and my Pokemon, too!" Dawn adds, just as enthusiastic about trying the beverage as Ash is.

Casey echoes their sentiments quickly, also eager to try out some Miltank Milk again. Its been a while since she last had it, and her Pokemon have never even tried it themselves, so she's excited for them to give it a try.

"In that case, I think it's time for a trip to the barn." Spring says as she turns for the door, glancing back at Casey and her friends as she begins to walk towards it, "Follow me."

* * *

"What are we waiting for exactly?" Ash asks as he and the others stand just outside of a barn at the top of one of the many grassy hills that stand tall throughout the meadow. He looks over at Spring, who's stood just ahead of the group with a small golden bell in her hand, "What's that bell for, Spring?"

"To call in the Miltank, of course!" Autumn quips, answering Ash's question for her older sister with enthusiasm, "You can't have Miltank Milk with any Miltank!"

Shortly after Autumn provides them with an explanation, Spring puts the bell to use by ringing it loudly, calling out to nobody in particular as she rings it, "Alright! We've got some thirsty customers! Time to come in!"

It's not long before Casey and the others see three Miltank rushing towards them from within the meadow, the three of them chirping excitedly as they approach. From their quick response to the bell, Casey figures that they must be well trained Pokemon. Why else would they respond to the ring of a bell so quickly and efficiently?

"Awesome! Look at 'em go!"

Casey chuckles lightly at Ash's zealous reaction to the approaching Pokemon. The Pallet Town native is so ecstatic that he wastes no time in reaching into his pocket to withdraw his Pokedex, scanning in the date for the Miltank as they reach the barn.

 _"Miltank, the Milk Cow Pokémon. It is widely known that drinking Miltank milk when you're young helps you grow up to be strong and healthy."_

"That must be why your Grandpa gave you Miltank Milk when you were little, Casey." Dawn remarks, "That sure was smart of him."

Casey laughs again, considering another alternative to why her Grandpa might've given her the milk, "I don't know, Dawn. Knowing my Grandpa, he probably kept ordering it in because it was delicious. He's a smart man, but he's also a big fan of food."

"Well, Miltank Milk is delicious." Spring chimes in as the Miltank move to stand in front of them, the Milk Cow Pokemon standing before them in a perfectly ordered line. Spring begins pointing out the Miltank to them, "Those two Miltank are mine, and that one right there is Summer's."

One thing that Casey notices straight away is that none of the Miltank belong to Autumn, a fact which catches her off guard. She'd expect at least one of the Miltank to belong to her, and it seems that Dawn expects that too, as the bluenette is the one who turns towards the youngest milkmaid and voices her confusion, "Autumn, what about you?"

"I actually do have a Miltank, but..."

Her voice trails off when Ash calls out suddenly, excited as he witnesses the Miltank walk inside the barn without even being asked to. Brock remarks that it's a sign that the Miltank have been well trained, a statement which Casey wholeheartedly agrees with. The Miltank definitely have been well trained, but Casey still can't help but wonder where Autumn's Miltank is. She wants to ask the young milkmaid that very question, but she doesn't really get the chance to before Spring speaks up once again, inviting all of them inside the barn,

"Come on in, everybody!"

* * *

"Here! Your fresh milk."

Casey reaches out for one of the glasses of freshly sourced Miltank Milk that Spring's offering out to herself and her friends fervently, eager to finally have some of the beverage that she hasn't drank in so long. Her friends are just as eager, and within just a few moments the four of them have fully drank their glasses of milk.

"That was delicious!" Casey says delightfully, placing her glass back on the tray that Spring's extending out to them and smiling at the kind milkmaid, "Thanks a lot, Spring! I'm sure that my Pokemon will love it!"

Ash echoes her sentiment, as do Brock and Dawn, and the latter of the three wastes no time in giving all of his Pokemon the chance try out the delicious beverage, "Okay, time for a milk break!"

Both Brock and Dawn follow suit, and soon the entire barn is full up with excitable Pokemon who are all just as eager to try the Miltank Milk out as their trainers were. Casey knows that her own Pokemon will be just as excited and decides to bring them out as well,

"Let's go, everybody!"

She throws four Pokeballs up into the air with gusto, and mere moments later, her Pokemon materialise out of their capsules in bright flashes of light, appearing before her with gleeful expressions on their faces.

"So, who's ready to try some Miltank Milk?"

All of her Pokemon cheer enthusiastically about the idea, and Shellos even goes so far as to leaping up onto Casey's shoulder, taking her usual spot with a gleeful chirp, "You're excited, huh?"

"Shell!" The Sea Slug Pokemon coos, nuzzling the side of her squidgy face against her trainers affectionally.

Casey chuckles and tries to brush off the persistent Pokemon playfully, "Hey, cut it out, wil-?"

"That's not it!"

She stops abruptly when a shrill voice sounds throughout the barn. Even Shellos stops her attempts to gain Casey's attention as her trainer glances over in the direction of the shrill voice, finding a rather disgruntled looking Autumn talking to Ash, Dawn and Brock.

"The truth is that Ilta's one selfish Miltank!" She whines, "And she's not even that cute so I'm just starting to think that I'll let her go!"

Casey frowns when she realises what Autumn's saying. She can't just get rid of a Pokemon because it's not cute or doesn't listen to her. Owning a Pokemon means that you're responsible for training and taking care of it. You can't just discard your Pokemon if it doesn't work out.

Brock, being the conscious Pokemon Breeder that he is, is quick to call Autumn out for her rather selfish remark, "You can't do that. Giving up on your Miltank without first taking time to get to know her and understand her is no good for either of you."

"Wow, Brock! You certainly are a wise man." Spring says with an impressed tone in her voice.

"Thanks!" Brock replies, "I'm working to be a top Pokemon Breeder, so I really think that I can help Autumn work out any problems with her Miltank."

Autumn seems slightly taken aback by Brock's offer of assistance, but the young milkmaid nevertheless accepts his offer for help, remarking that she's really struggling to get her Miltank to listen to her. In fact, all of this talk about Pokemon training gives Casey an idea.

"We have a ton of customers, so lets go!" Summer calls out to her sisters from just outside the barn, beckoning them over with a wave.

"I'm coming!" Spring calls back, instantly ready to spring into action in order to help out her sister. As she begins to walk out of the barn, she turns to look back at Autumn with a smile, "Why don't you stay and listen to some of Brock's wisdom, Autumn?"

Autumn is quick to agree with her sisters suggestion, clearly more interested in working alongside Brock than her sisters. As Casey watches Spring make her way towards the door, she decides that now is the time to act. With Shellos still sat on her shoulder, she rushes forward and after Spring, catching the milkmaid just before she leaves the barn,

"Hey, Spring, wait!" She says, the kind milkmaid turning towards her immediately to hear what she has to say, "Could I ask you a favour?"

* * *

"Alright, you two! I want you both to give it your all, okay?"

Both Pokemon respond enthusiastically to their trainer whilst they keep their eyes fixed on each other, both of them poised and ready to execute an attack. She can see the fire present in both of their eyes, prompting her on to give them their commands.

"Shellos, use Water Pulse!" She calls out, "And, Dratini, you use Dragon Rage!"

Shellos opens her mouth wide as a large blue orb of water materialises from it, the small Sea Slug Pokemon taking the time to charge up the power of the orb whilst Dratini prepares her own attack. The Dragon Pokemon lunges her neck backwards as she too charges up the power of her attack. She lunges her neck forwards moments later and unleashes ferocious swirling cyclone of purple energy at her opponent. Shellos counters with her full charged Water Pulse; both attacks meet in the middle and combat one another with equals amounts of strength, resulting in both attacks dissipating in a small cloud of mist just moments later, their combined strengths cancelling one another out with ease.

"That was excellent, you two!" She praises, "Be sure to keep it up and we'll have that third Gym Badge in the bag!"

Both Pokemon chirp back to their trainer appreciatively before getting right back to their training, practicing their attacks just as they were before. Casey smiles at the sight before turning around and looking over at Monferno and Electabuzz, the two Pokemon getting into a bit of training of their own. The two quasi-rivals are firing attack after attack at one enough as they engage in what looks like a heated battle, both trying to out compete the other. To an outsider looking in, it would look as if the two Pokemon were trying to destroy each other, but Casey knows that's just how they operate. She finds it awesome that her Pokemon can challenge each other to the extent that they can improve just by training alongside each other.

"Your attacks are looking great, guys! Keep it up!"

She sits back on the bristly grass blades with a sigh, content with sitting and watching her Pokemon train for the time being. She had asked Spring if there was any place in the meadow that she and her Pokemon could get in some training, and after Kindly offering them all another round of Miltank Milk, which Casey and her Pokemon graciously accepted without so much as a second thought, showed them a place in the meadow that was ideal for training in. It's not too far away from the cafe or the barn, but it's far enough that a peaceful silence is settled around the expansive grassy area.

She's grateful for the opportunity to train with her Pokemon because it's a much needed distraction. She's felt kinda off since the whole incident back in Solaceon Town, not that she'd admit that to anybody. She doesn't understand why she can't remember what happened to her. Sure, she hit her head, but she feels as if that's not it. She feels uneasy just thinking about it, which doesn't make any sense because she can't remember it at all. None of it makes sense to her, and it's honestly absolutely terrifying.

 _Something must've happened to me, but what was it? Come on, Casey, remember. Just remember. JUST remember._

"Agh!" She screams in frustration at her taunting thoughts, massaging the side of her aching head with her hand as she stares down at the grass, "I can't remember..."

 _I can't remember. I have to remember. Why can't I remember?_

"Mon?"

She looks up to find her Pokemon stood before her, grave expressions of concern plastered across their faces. She doesn't blame them for looking so concerned - that outburst really did come out of nowhere. She looks at them apologetically, "I'm sorry, everybody. I...I don't know where that came from. I shouldn't have yelled like that."

Her face goes a deep shade of red as she looks back at her Pokemon in embarrassment. She's supposed to be the trainer - why is she allowing herself to freak them out like this? Despite her worries, it seems that her Pokemon aren't remotely fazed by her sudden outburst. In fact, what they do next really makes her laugh.

Monferno begins to jump about lightly, almost as if he's performing a small comedic dance for his trainer. Dratini and Shellos are quick to follow suit, moving in synchronisation with Monferno and chanting playfully as they go. Finally, the more reserved Electabuzz joins in with the folly, and by the end of their dance Casey's frustration is long forgotten, being replaced with a fit of laughter and good will.

"Thank-you...you guys." She manages to gasp out between her giggles, eventually settling down once again with a smile plastered upon her face, "I really needed that, so thanks."

"Casey!"

She turns around hastily when she hears a voice call out to her, jumping up immediately when she spots both Ash and Dawn rushing towards her. She looks at them with concern as they breathlessly approach, "You guys, what's going on?"

"It's...It's..."

"It's what, Ash?" Casey asks, not picking up on what her inaudible and breathless friend is trying to say, "What's going on?"

"Casey, it's Brock!" Dawn manages to gasp out, pausing briefly to collect herself before continuing on, "He's in trouble!"

 _Trouble? What did he do? This can't be good!_

As much as she wants to know what's going on, she knows that the priority right now is helping Brock out. Help first, ask questions later. That's the ideology she's choosing to go by right now.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" She replies, already reaching into her pockets for the correct Pokeballs to return her Pokemon, "Let's go help him!"

* * *

"Hey, Brock! Autumn!"

Casey sighs in relief when her friends come into sight, both of them appearing to be unharmed. They've been searching the meadow for a fair while at this point, and it was appearing that their attempts to locate Brock were becoming futile. It really is a relief that they've finally managed to find their friend. That relief is short lived however, as upon closer inspection, Casey comes to realise who exactly Brock and Autumn are facing off against.

She comes to a stop beside Brock, who's holding onto Happiny, and Autumn, who's stood alongside her Miltank, albeit out of breath, but she soon forgets her breathlessness when she looks at the people stood before them, "Team Rocket! I should've known!"

The notorious evil-doers are stood alongside their prized hot air balloon, both Seviper and Carnivine out of their Pokeballs and alongside their trainers. It becomes clear that Casey, Ash and Dawn just interrupted what would've been a Pokemon battle, no doubt. A Pokemon battle that both Ash and Casey intend on winning, with the former being the first to spring into action out of the two, "Alright, Turtwig, I choose you!"

He throws a single Pokeball out in front of him with gusto, the bubbly Tiny Leaf Pokemon materialises from the device and landing comfortably on the grass below. Casey decides to follow her friends lead and withdraws a single Pokeball from her pocket, throwing it out in front of her with just as much determination as Ash did before her, "Let's go, Dratini!"

The. Dragon Pokemon bursts out of her capsule with a fierce battle cry, poised and ready to fight alongside Turtwig almost immediately. Ash is the first to act out of the two trainers, calling out a command to his Pokemon with a fiery determination in his voice, "Try Energy Ball! Focus your energy fast!"

The small leaves atop of Turtwig's head begin to glow brightly as the Tiny Leaf Pokemon begins charging up the green ball of energy at the front of its mouth, doing its best to form a powerful attack.

"Hit it!"

Turtwig fires off its charged up attack with as much strength as it can muster. The green orb of energy rushes towards their opponents, though the attack ends up falling just short of them and landing on the ground with a pitiful thud without so much as intimidating them.

"Nuts!" Ash groans as Team Rocket looks back at him in bemusement. They clearly expected a different outcome to Turtwig's attack, "Still no good!"

Casey can't help but feel sorry for Ash at that moment. He's been working so hard with Turtwig to perfect that Energy Ball, but they just keep falling short every time. Regardless, she knows that if Ash and Turtwig can't handle this, then it's about time that her and Destiny give it a shot themselves.

"Alright, Dratini...!"

"Hold on!" Brock calls out, stopping Casey's mid sentence. She turns towards her Pokemon Breeder friend, interested in hearing what he has to say, "Now, a tag battle with Autumn and me as a team will strengthen the bond between her and Ilta."

 _I suppose that makes sense. Who am I kidding? It's Brock we're talking about! Of course it makes sense._

"Alright then, Brock." She says, taking a step back as she puts all of her confidence in Brock and his convictions, "It's all yours."

Brock nods back before turning back to Team Rocket, both him and Ilta poised and ready to go as Jessie makes the first move. She thrusts her hand out towards them with vigour, ordering her Pokemon to attack with her usual overconfident bravado, "Seviper, use Poison Tail!"

"Happiny, use Pound!"

The adorable Playhouse Pokemon leaps out of Brock's arms and counters Seviper with an intensely powerful Pound attack, her incredible yet unusual strength sending the Fang Snake Pokemon flying back and onto the ground with a loud thud, much to its trainers chagrin.

"Carnivine, Bite, go!" James calls out, acting on Jessie's loss with a quick and decisive counter attack.

Carnivine lunges towards Autumn's Miltank with its large, snappy mouth wide open, it's jaws ready to clamp down on its opponent as soon as it's in range. Autumn reacts surprisingly quick to James' counter strike, and calls out a command before Carnivine can even get close, "Ilta, use Tackle, go!"

The usually stubborn Milk Cow Pokemon surprisingly listens to her trainer and rushes towards her opponent at a shockingly rapid pace. She reaches Carnivine in mere moments and, using her immensely heavy weight for added strength, smashes into the side of the unsuspecting Bug Catcher Pokemon, causing it to meet the same fate that Seviper did just moments before.

"Wow!" Autumn gasps as she watches her partner Pokemon in complete and utter awe, "Ilta is actually listening to my commands!"

Casey has to admit that she's highly impressed by Autumns Miltank. Why, just a couple of hours ago, the youngest milkmaid was whining about how stubborn and disobedient her Miltank was to her, and now look at her! Whatever Brock did to help Autumn get Ilta under control sure did the trick.

"Happiny, use Pound again!"

Happiny totters over to their struggling opponents and strikes them firmly with one of her stubby hands, sending Jessie, James, Meowth and their Pokemon high up into the air. All it takes is for Autumn to come in and give Ilta one final command for it all to end, "Ilta, use Rollout!"

The Milk Cow Pokemon pulls herself into a large ball. She leaps up into the air briefly before landing back down on the grass, charging up her power by spinning at an incredible speed. Ilta surges forward and goes barrelling into their soaring enemies, her intense power sending them blasting off high up into the sky and out of sight just moments later.

"Ilta, we won!" Autumn cheers triumphantly as she rushes towards her Miltank, hugging her fiercely and praising her for her performance in battle.

Casey watches on with a fond smile on her face, both proud and glad for Autumn and Ilta. Watching the two of them together really puts things into perspective for her. If Autumn can get past the adversary in her life, then what's stopping her from doing the same? With those thoughts in mind, Casey knows that she can get through all of the trials that she'll undoubtedly face from here on out, especially with her Pokemon and friends right there beside her cheering her on through it all.

She just knows it.


	18. Catching Some Gligar

_Casey watches on with a fond smile on her face, both proud and glad for Autumn and Ilta. Watching the two of them together really puts things into perspective for her. If Autumn can get past the adversary in her life, then what's stopping her from doing the same? With those thoughts in mind, Casey knows that she can get through all of the trials that she'll undoubtedly face from here on out, especially with her Pokemon and friends right there beside her cheering her on through it all._

 _She just knows it._

* * *

"Alright, Ash! Try it again!"

Casey moves across the park to stand opposite Ash. She joins Monferno, who's been stood opposite Ash and his training partner for the afternoon, Turtwig, for the past twenty minutes now. Ash and Turtwig are currently trying to perfect Turtwig's Energy Ball, which has definitely shown a stellar amount of improvement in the last couple of days. Casey knows that with just a little more work, Turtwig will have the move down pat.

They've stopped in yet another city on the way to Veilstone City, though Casey's noticed that this city is oddly quiet. In a way, it almost feels as if its been completely deserted. Despite the eerie silence that seems to sweep through the bare streets, the group managed to find a nice park to have lunch in. That's where Casey's other Pokemon are right now, sat on a picnic blanket alongside Dawn, Brock and their Pokemon as they all continue to tuck into Brock's well cooked food. Ash and Casey both wolfed down their food in eager anticipation to begin with some training, and it wasn't long until both Turtwig and Monferno followed suit.

"Turtwig, use Energy Ball!" Ash orders. The leaves atop of Turtwig's head glow brightly as the Tiny Leaf Pokemon charges up its energised attack. Turtwig fires off the attack moments later and though its power looks great, the attacks accuracy is all off. It doesn't go anywhere near its intended target, instead redirecting and soaring high up into the air and out of sight. Casey watches the attack in awe for a few moments, surprised at how far it goes before it dissipates. Turtwig sure has gotten incredibly strong from all of its training.

"That was great, Turtwig! Your power's great. You just need to work on your control, 'kay?" She praises the Tiny Leaf Pokemon for its efforts, Monferno joining in with an enthusiastic cry himself, "See, even Monferno agrees! You're doing great!"

Both trainers smile when Turtwig cries out joyfully at their praise, a joy that is unfortunately rather short lived. All of them are caught by surprise when a dark shadow sweeps over the park, leaving all of them feeling apprehensive and on edge. Casey glances up to the sky to find the source of the shadow and is oddly surprised by what she finds. A large flock of Pokemon are flying overhead, a certain glint in their eyes that only adds to her uneasiness.

She recognises the majority of the Pokemon as Gligar, the purple FlyScorpion Pokemon that she encountered once when she was travelling through Johto. She ran into a Gligar around about the time she arrived in Blackthorn City to collect her eighth and final Badge in Johto, and attempted to capture it, though the pesky bat-like fiend of a Pokemon got away from her before she even had the chance to so much throw a Pokeball at it. The majority of the flock of Pokemon are Gligar; there's only one other Pokemon amongst them, right at the front. Casey feels as if she recognises it, though she can't quite place it. Regardless, it seems to be the leader of the pack, a fact that becomes even more apparent when it begins to swoop down towards the ground, the masses of Gligar following suit.

 _What in the world are they doing?_

Casey watches in surprise as the intruding Pokemon swoop down and rush towards the picnic blanket. Brock and Dawn figure out what they're up to and manage to rush away before the flock can reach them, all of the Pokemon sat with them on the blanket rushing away alongside them. The Gligar and their leader proceed to steal up all of the remaining food before making their way for the nearby trees, presumably so they can eat the food that they've wrongfully stolen.

"Mon!" Monferno yells angrily beside her, his sights fixed on the flying thieves rushing away from him. She can tell that he's angry and she doesn't exactly blame him. However, as much as she'd like to see him stop the thieving fiends, she knows that could end badly for all of them. Besides, they aren't going to want to eat their food if its been burned my Monferno's fiery attacks.

"Easy, pal!" She tells him, drawing his infuriated eyes away from the Gligar and onto her. He looks as if he's going to argue back at her, but he ultimately restrains himself when he notices what Ash and Turtwig are doing just beside them. Casey notices it too.

Ash and Turtwig are fighting back

"Turtwig, Energy Ball, now!" Ash orders angrily, clearly not planning on allowing the Gligar to get away with stealing their food. If there's one thing that you should know about Ash, it's that you should never mess with his food.

Turtwig follows its trainers command and charges up its Energy Ball once again, firing it off at the fleeing Gligar as quick as possible. At first the attack seems to be going well, but it unfortunately falls short and misses the Gligar by suddenly changing its trajectory and crashing down into the pavement. Ash doesn't let that failed attempt deter him, as he's quick to give Turtwig yet another command in order to try and stop the Gligar.

"'Kay, Razor Leaf, go!"

Turtwig fires off a forage of green, bladed leaves at the Gligar that have already nestled up in the nearby trees, but the troublesome Pokemon dodge the assaulting leaves with ease.

"Okay, return!"

Casey turns towards Brock and Dawn, who are stood to the side of the park, as they begin to return their alarmed Pokemon to their Pokeballs, presumably wanting them all to be safe from the attacking Pokemon. Soon, only them, Piplup and Pikachu remain, all of them physically fine but visibly shaken. Casey follows their actions, rushing towards the group and returning her other Pokemon to their Pokeballs, only leaving Monferno out of his capsule. She might need his help if the Pokemon decide to rush at them again.

"Are you guys okay?" Casey asks, looking over at her friends in concern after she pockets the Pokeballs in her hands.

"We're fine, but who are those Pokemon?" Dawn replies, looking at the Pokemon up in the trees with a fearful look in her eyes.

Ash rushes towards the group then, Turtwig following in tow, "That's what I'd like to know, too."

"I know that the purple ones are Gligar, but I'm not sure what that other one is." Casey remarks, expressing her knowledge on the Pokemon before turning to Brock. He's the most knowledgeable out of them all. If anybody will know what that other Pokemon is, it's him, "Any ideas, Brock?"

"That's a Gliscor."

 _A Gliscor, huh? Sounds interesting._

"Woah! I've gotta see this!" Dawn says, quickly reaching into her pocket in order to withdraw her Pokedex. She aims the high-tech Pokemon encyclopaedia at the Gligar first, the feminine, robotic voice of the device sounding out as it records the data.

 _"Gligar, the FlyScorpion Pokémon. It glides using the membrane attached to its arms and legs, and attacks the face of its prey with its claws."_

She then directs the Pokedex at the single Gliscor amongst the fray, also recording its data into the device like she did for the Gligar before it.

 _"Gliscor, the Fang Scorp Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gligar. It watches its prey as it hangs from trees by its tail and attacks from above when it sees the chance."_

"So it's the evolved form of Gligar, huh?" Casey murmurs as she looks up at the eating Gliscor curiously, "That's new information to me. I didn't even know that Gligar h-."

Two icy blue beams of striking light catch Casey out mid-sentence, her attention fully captivated by the bright beams racing towards the Gliscor perched in the tree. Gliscor manages to dodge the beams just before they can strike; Casey and their friends quickly scan the area for the source of the attack.

Her blood instantly boils when she finds the source, and by the sound of his snarling just to her right, Casey knows that Monferno has the same feeling.

"It's Paul!"

The purple trainer who's renowned for his cruelty towards his Pokemon is stood at the entrance to the park alongside his conniving Weavile, who looks rather pleased of itself after just having tried to attack an unaware Gliscor. Paul's quick to act when Weavile's attack doesn't go as planned, sending out his Murkrow in order to have another go just moments later.

"Murkrow, use Haze!"

The Darkness Pokemon bursts out from its Pokeball with a battle ready caw, but before it can so much as attempt to carry out its trainers order, Gliscor decides to fight back. The angered Fang Scorp Pokemon lets out a loud, booming cry, resulting in a powerful wind coming swooping through the empty city. Nothing happens at first, but it's apparent what Gliscor is up to when even more Gligar begin to swarm the area, their flying part passing directly through where Murkrow is flying above Paul.

"Quick, Murkrow! Dodge them!"

Murkrow ascends to an even higher altitude in order to avoid the new flock of Gligar, who simply soar right past it and over to their leader as another strong gust of wind rushes through the park. Gliscor and the Gligar use this powerful gust of wind to propel them right out of the park and away into the city, the large cluster of Pokemon disappearing into the city mere moments later. At least, most of them disappear.

Casey and her friends turn towards one of the trees when they hear a small gurgling noise near it, surprised to find a lone and unaware Gligar eating away at a stolen apple from their lunch. The Gligar soon notices that they're watching it and scoffs down the final contents of its apple before making an attempt to flee, though its attempt doesn't go quite as well as the other Pokemon's did.

The klutzy Pokemon ends up soaring down towards Casey and her friends, crashing right into an unsuspecting Ash and knocking the Kanto native to the pavement.

"Ugh! Get off me!" Ash yells, scrambling to push the heavy FlyScorpion Pokemon off of him. The Gligar eventually jumps off of Ash and looks frantically around at the group, shaking frightfully under the piercing glares of the other Pokemon. It doesn't stay for long as it's quick to soar off into the sky after the rest of its flock, away from the angry stares of the other Pokemon and their trainers. Casey watches it go with an innate curiosity.

 _That Gligar sure is an odd one. I've never seen a Pokemon quite like it. It almost doesn't fit in with the rest of its flock._

"At least that Gliscor lives up to its reputation." Paul murmurs from behind her, pocketing the Pokeballs that now contain his Murkrow and Weavile.

"Does that mean that you're here to catch a Gliscor?" Ash asks, him and his friends turning around and directing their attention towards the obnoxious trainer that joined them in the park and caused all of the commotion in the first place.

"Stay out of my way, got it?" Paul snipes back, turning around and walking right out of the park without another word. Casey suspects that he's off to find that Gliscor that he's clearly so eager to get his hands on.

"I see that he's as charming as ever." Casey murmurs as she watches Paul leave, the distinct sound of Monferno snarling still present just to her right. Casey's not surprised at his reaction to Paul. His distaste for the awful guy rivals even her own.

Still, their hate for Paul is soon forgotten when Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny pull up in a truck, both of them jumping out of the vehicle and rushing through the park over to them.

"Are you folks alright?" Jenny asks, doing her civic duty in ensuring that they're all okay.

"We're fine, except I'm afraid they got away with our lunch." Dawn replies, her voice disgruntled as she mentions their stolen food. She never even got the chance to finish her lunch, so Casey understands why she's so annoyed.

"It looks like they've done it once again." Nurse Joy sighs.

"And we weren't in time once again." Officer Jenny adds, her voice sounding just as disappointed as Nurse Joy's did.

Casey's about to ask what exactly they're going on about when Brock, being Brock, rushes forward and kneels down at their feet, speaking to them in his usual, sappy, love-sick voice, "On the contrary, I think that your timing's perfect! My heart was feeling so empty, but now my heart is feeling full again! All because of you!"

"Brock, you mig-."

Before Casey can even have the chance to warn Brock, knowing full well what's going to happen next, Croagunk appears from outside of its Pokeball and delivers a lethal Poison Jab to Brock's backside, crippling the former Gym Leader as he keels over in pain.

"Of course...I'm feeling other things...as well!"

* * *

"The Gliscor and Gligar have turned our city into a ghost town. They've eaten every bit of fruit and vegetables that they can find, and now they're grabbing food right out of our hands."

Casey looks out of the clear glass windows from atop of one of the many skyscrapers in the city as she listens to Officer Jenny explain whats been going on in her city. The Gliscor and Gligar have been causing trouble for ages, and they've been wearing down both Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy for just as long. They've both been working frivolously to stop the Gliscor and Gligar from spreading terror across the city, but their attempts have all been fruitless so far.

"But Gliscor and Gligar usually live in the forest, don't they?" Brock says, the knowledgeable boy quick to question whats been going on, "What are they doing here?"

"We think they've all managed to get lost."

"That is so weird!" Ash remarks.

"But true." Nurse Joy sighs, her voice sounding defeated and hopeless. Casey turns around to face her then, leaning back against the sturdy glass windows as she listens to her explanation, "We had a storm one day and the wind was particularly fierce. It was so strong that Gliscor was unable to escape its force, so it ended up being trapped in our city. Of course, Gliscor wanted to return to the forest, but the winds were just too strong. They still are."

"Of course!" Brock gasps in realisation, "Those skyscraper currents are strong, too strong to fight."

"Skyscraper currents?" Dawn asks, voicing the question that's stuck on hers, Casey's and Ash's minds.

"The taller a building is, the stronger the winds that swoop around it are."

"So Gliscor had no other choice but to stay here, and before long it attracted the Gligar in the surrounding area." Nurse Joy adds, adding more confusion to her story.

"But how'd it do that?"

"Gliscor and Gligar fire off a certain sound wave in order to detect obstacles and fly around them. But in the city, these sound waves can become magnified and scattered, bouncing wildly off of buildings. These powerful sound waves are what attracted the Gligar to the city." Nurse Joy explains, "We've tried many times to capture them so we could return them to the forest, but they're very cautious and we can't get ahold of them."

"So our latest plan is to lure them all in by using Gligar's favourite fruit as bait." Officer Jenny adds.

Casey guesses that their plan adds up. It all makes sense - all of the unfortunate factors have contributed to such a large swarm of Gligar and Gliscor residing in the city. She's also not surprised that they haven't managed to get rid of them yet, especially considering that it's just the two of them who are trying.

"Mon!"

Casey's surprised when Monferno suddenly calls out, jumping down from the seat that he's sat on and rushing towards her. He chatters at her excitedly, gesturing between himself, Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy as he chants. Casey can't help but smile, knowing instantly what he's trying to say.

"What's Monferno trying to say, Casey?" Dawn asks.

Casey glances down at Monferno with a proud smile before directing her attention back to her friends, her pride for Monferno shining through as she voices what he's trying to say, "He's saying that we're going to help get the Gliscor and Gligar back to the forest."

* * *

Casey braces herself as the car swerves onto yet another street, the tyres rolling over the tarmac at a rapid speed. They're currently trying to enact their plan to catch the Gliscor and Gligar. Officer Jenny is driving the truck through the city, which is full to the brim of all kinds of fruits that the Gliscor and Gligar love. Nurse Joy's sat in the front passenger seat, her laptop placed in front of her so she can monitor the wind currents as they drive. With any luck, they might just pull this off.

"They're following!"

Casey glances out of the window as Dawn calls out, almost yelling in fear at the sight of the approaching Gligar and Gliscor. She'd be lying if she said that they didn't look scary, rushing towards them at top speed with a hungry look in their eyes.

"I'm heading for the target!"

The car swerves once again, the force causing Casey to buck backwards into her seat and away from the window. She's kinda glad for that. She doesn't know how much longer she could watch the Gliscor and Gligar approach without going into a full on panic.

"The wind is about to get a lot stronger." Nurse Joy says as she continues to watch the data that's coming through on her laptop, "Let's hope that does the trick."

"So the idea is to use the strong winds to blow them all back to the forest." Brock says.

Casey nods, "That sounds like a good plan. Hopefully it'll be eno-."

Casey stops abruptly when she hears a chorus of loud, pained cries from the Gliscor and Gligar. The truck screeches to a halt and Casey quickly fumbles with her seatbelt, trying desperately to unbuckle it and get out of the truck. She manages to unbuckle it despite her panic, and she hastily rushes out of the truck alongside her friends to try and find out what's going on.

The Gliscor and Gligar have been unwillingly trapped within a thick glass container by the one and only Team Rocket, who are cackling gleefully from their balloon as they lift the captured Pokemon into the air, the glass container attached to their balloon by a single, sturdy cord. Nurse Joy calls out to them angrily, demanding them to stop immediately, but the nefarious trio merely chuckle at her feeble protests.

"Listen, is that some clueless claptrap that I hear?" Jessie taunts extravagantly, clearing enjoying how helpless they are way more than she should be.

"Clueless, but-."

 _I'm not listening to their ridiculous motto! I've had enough!_

"Enough, you three!" Casey yells, her shrill voice cutting off their motto instantly, "Let them go right now!"

"Not a chance, Twerpette!" Meowth snipes back nastily, "So quit your whining!"

Casey glares up at the cackling villains, her hand instinctively reaching for one of the Pokeballs in her pocket. She has a feeling that this isn't going to go down peacefully. They're going to have to put up a fight.

"They're going back to the forest where they belong!" Ash yells, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Go!"

Casey springs into action as Pikachu leaps down from Ash's shoulder, the Electric Mouse Pokemon charging up his electrical power at his cheeks. Casey withdraws a single Pokeball from her pocket, tossing it out in front of her and calling out a command, "Monferno, come on out and use Flamethrower!"

Monferno bursts out of his capsule in a flash of white, bright light and instantly springs into action, landing on the ground beside Pikachu and firing off his attack in unison with the Electric Mouse Pokemon. The sparking bolts of lightning merge with Monferno's searing Flamethrower as the combined attack smashes into the glass case; Casey expects the powerful attack combo to shatter the glass case, but she finds that to not be the case when the attacks dissipate, revealing the case to be perfectly intact and unscathed.

"But...how?"

Casey hears Nurse Joy gasp in shock just behind her, but she doesn't turn to her and simply keeps her angered eyes fixed on Team Rocket. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, Team Rocket have put some thought into their plan this time around. If they can't break into the case, then what are they supposed to do? They have to get the Gliscor and Gligar back to the forest!

"I remember that Gligar!"

Casey glances down at the glass box when Ash calls out, surprised to find a lone Gligar perched atop of the glass case, next to the cable attaching it to Team Rocket's balloon. At first, Casey's confused as to why the FlyScorpion Pokemon is up on the case, and why it isn't inside the case with the other Gligar and Gliscor. Her confusion soon turns to amusement when Gligar reaches its claw out to the cable, closing its pincers around it and releasing the case from Team Rocket's grip.

The case plummets towards the ground, sending the panicked Gligar that released it down with it. The Gligar in question is sent soaring up into the air as the case smashes onto the ground; it flails its arms around as it helplessly calls out for help. Ash rushes towards Gligar in order to help it out whilst Casey fixes her sights on Team Rocket again, noticing that the trio are visibly paler and less snarky than they were before.

She smirks as she looks down at Monferno, who looks just as pleased and ready to go as she does, "What do you say, pal? Should we give them a taste of their own medicine?"

"Mon! Monferno!"

Casey smiles at her trusted partner, turning back towards Team Rocket and speaking in a confident and determined voice as she prepares to give Monferno one final command, "Alright, Monferno use Fla-!"

She stops when the Gliscor and Gligar rise up into the sky, obscuring their view from Team Rocket. Monferno stills as they observe the Gliscor and Gligar enact their revenge on the malicious villains. The Gligar all swarm the balloon, preventing Team Rocket from escaping. This gives Gliscor the perfect chance to fire off a decisive X-Scissor at the balloon, causing it to burst and send Team Rocket ricocheting around mid-air. They eventually crash down right by a nearby building and are sent vaulting into the sky, screaming as they blast off into the distance.

Casey sighs in relief, glad that all of the commotion is finally over and done with. She hopes that they can now try and get the Gliscor and Gligar back to the forest. But, of course, nothing's as simple as that. Just as she starts to have a hopeful outlook on the situation, the building that Team Rocket crashed next to tumbles down to the ground, fully blocking the only way out of the city.

 _This isn't looking good._

* * *

"So, plan B?" Casey says, leaning back in her seat as she looks around at her friends. They decided that after the disaster with Team Rocket they'd regroup and try to come up with another plan. Right after the building collapsed in the middle of the road the Gligar and Gliscor took to the skies, and they're now terrorising the remaining people in the city in their search for even more food.

Basically, their plan totally failed and now they have no idea what to do next. They need to get the Gliscor and Gligar out of the city before they can cause anymore damage than they already have. They're gonna need a plan for that, though.

"If we could somehow produce a current of air that's strong enough to carry them all out of the city, then our problem would be solved." Nurse Joy says as she looks at her laptop screen, presumably running some kind of algorithm to see if their plan would work.

"That's it!" Ash gasps, jumping up from his seat rather abruptly, "We'll use Gust!"

"Of course! We'll use our Pokemon to get them all the way out of here!" Brock agrees, instantly catching on to what his long time friend is trying to say.

"Okay, guys, we need to think about this." Casey says, "This plan sounds good and all, but we aren't going to be able to do anything if we can't find the Gliscor and Gligar."

"Okay, so lets go and find 'em!"

* * *

Casey, Monferno and their friends turn the corner onto yet another backstreet of the city, still on the hunt for the Gliscor and Gligar. They've got to find them and convince them to head to the Pokemon Center, where Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy are waiting to enact the final part of their plan. They've spent a good twenty minutes searching having not come up with anything, but that soon changes when they notice a large purple blob towards the end of the street.

They speed up as they get closer to the blob, discovering it to be one of the Gligar. They stop breathlessly in front of it, Ash quick to interact with it, "Gligar! You okay?"

The Gligar sits up and takes a moment to examine them before winking over at Ash, a look of realisation crossing Dawn's face at its action, "I can't believe it's the same one!"

"The same one who cut the cable?" Casey asks, receiving a nod in response from Dawn. She looks back to the Gligar, stumbling over her words as she tries to find something to say to the FlyScorpion Pokemon, "Gligar, wow, uh...thanks for your help."

The Gligar winks at her cheekily, clearly pleased to be receiving all of this praise. The pleased look on its face soon fades as it becomes replaced with a look of terror; moments later, the Gligar takes off down an alleyway, using a sudden gust of wind to propel itself forwards.

"Hey!" Ash calls out, "Where are you going now?!"

"Gliscor must be somewhere down there! Let's go!" Brock declares before rushing down the alleyway that Gligar went down. Ash is quick to follow Brock, and it's not long until Dawn and Casey follow after them, the group of trainers following Gligar down the alleyway. They fight against the strong winds as they rush down the alleyway, eventually running into Gliscor and his flock of Gligar.

"Gliscor! We wanna help you get back to the forest!" Ash calls out, catching Gliscor's attention as the Fang Scorpion Pokemon attempts to flee the area, "You come with us over to the Pokemon Center, quick!"

Gliscor seems to consider Ash's proposal briefly. Casey thinks that, for just a moment, they've won the Fang Scorpion and its flock over, but those thoughts are soon dashed when a striking bolt of lightning rushes over their heads, striking Gliscor directly. The Fang Scorpion Pokemon falls down to the ground, writhing and screaming in pain as the effects of the unexpected attack takes its toll.

"Now what?!"

Casey and her friends turn around and find that the attack has come from Paul's Electabuzz, who is stood in front of his trainer alongside Paul's Weavile with a proud look on its face. Casey notices a Pokeball in Paul's right hand, and it doesn't take her long to realise what he's about to do.

"Paul, no!"

Paul doesn't listen to her and tosses the Pokeball right at the injured Gliscor, the device pulling the Fang Scorpion Pokemon inside of it in a flash of bright light. The Pokeball falls to the ground at Pauls feet and shakes briefly, everybody watching with bated breath as it makes its slight movements. The device clicks moments later, signifying that Gliscor's been successfully captured, and Paul reaches down to pick it up, aiming his Pokedex down at it to scan it.

 _What is he doing?! The Gligar won't be able to function without Gliscor! It's their leader!_

"Paul, stop!" Casey shouts angrily at Paul as he pockets his Pokedex and Gliscor's new Pokeball, desperate for him to understand the repercussions of his actions, "What about the Gligar?!"

"They're none of my concern, see." Paul replies nonchalantly, clearly already bored of their conversation.

His reaction is making Casey's blood boil. His complete and utter disregard for Pokemon that he doesn't seem 'worthy' or 'valuable' is simply disgusting. She knows that she shouldn't expect any less of him, especially not after what she's seen of him before, but it still repulses her nonetheless.

She knows that it repulses Monferno as well, as she can hear him growling as he glares intensely at Paul just to her right. She would've expected that from him, but what happens next is something that she wasn't expecting at all. Monferno suddenly leaps up into the air and begins to spin at a rapid speed, a fiery inferno surrounding his body as he charges up a very familiar attack. She knows what he's about to do, but she fails to find her voice before he shoots off in his intended direction, only managing to react when he's halfway towards his destination.

"Monferno, no!"

Monferno doesn't listen to her, and instead the Playful Pokemon continues to race towards Paul at top speed, not letting up for even a second as he rushes towards him. Paul remains surprisingly stoic as he approaches, uttering a single command as he keeps his eyes fixed on Monferno, "Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!"

Electricity crackles up Electabuzz's right arm as it charges up the Thunder Punch, slamming its electrical fist into Monferno mere moments later. The two intense attacks collide, and despite Electabuzz's strength, Monferno manages to gain the edge and send it flying backwards, much to everybody's surprise. Electabuzz hisses as he goes flying backwards onto the gravelly pavement and Paul looks down at Monferno angrily, who has stopped before him and is glaring up at him menacingly.

"Mon! Ferno! Mon! Monferno!"

Casey knows that Monferno's yelling - of course she does. She knows that her friends are both curious and confused, but Paul's reaction is slightly different to theirs. He still looks angry, but he's also beginning to look...almost understating. It's as if he know what Monferno's trying to say, and he doesn't look happy about it, that's for sure. He reaches into his pocket and withdraws two Pokeballs, returning both Electabuzz and Weavile silently before turning around, beginning to walk right back out of the alleyway.

 _What is with that guy?!_

They all watch silently as Paul turns the corner out of the alleyway, leaving them and the panicked Gligar behind. Casey expects that to be the end of it, but her expectations are proven wrong when Monferno begins to rush down the alleyway and after Paul.

"Monferno!" She yells out to him, but he simply ignores her and continues to rush away from her.

She turns back to her friends wordlessly as Monferno runs right out of the alleyway, not exactly sure of how she should react. On the one hand, she knows that she needs to go after Monferno, but she doesn't want to abandon her friends either. They need to help the Gligar get back to the forest. Thankfully, Dawn knows exactly what to say to ease her mind,

"Go." She says, nodding her head in the direction that Monferno ran in, "We'll deal with the Gligar."

Casey gives her a grateful smile before rushing off after Monferno, leaving her friends to deal with the swarming Gligar. Although she feels bad for leaving them, she'd feel even worse if she didn't go after Monferno. She turns the corner and runs slightly further down the road, surprised to find Paul stood there seemingly arguing with Monferno.

"What is your problem?!"

She slows her approach and walks towards them, taking her place behind Monferno and looking accusingly at Paul, "I think the question is, what's _your_ problem?"

"I did nothing wrong." Paul replies bluntly, glancing up from Monferno to glare at her instead, "You're all just pathetic."

"We're the pathetic ones, Paul? Really?" Casey snipes back, not letting the obnoxious boy get away with insulting her and her friends like that, "If we're so pathetic, then why do you even interact with us? Why did you battle with Ash, huh? Why did you have a battle with me?"

"To prove just how pathetic you are!"

Casey has to stop herself from scoffing at that. Monferno even looks at Paul indignantly for his statement.

"That went well, didn't it?" She says sarcastically, "You lost our battle because you didn't have any faith in your Murkrow! You're too harsh, Paul! And until you realise that...you'll never be a successful Pokemon trainer. Not really."

What she says seems to really take Paul aback. He stares at her briefly wordlessly, clearly surprised at what she's just said. He probably isn't used to be people being so brutally blunt with him. Casey expects him to argue back with her, but he instead swallows his pride and turns around, walking away from her and Monferno without another word. She can hear Monferno growling at Paul once again, but she is quick to snuff it off before he can act on his anger once again.

"No, pal. Just leave it."

Monferno looks up at her with confusion and frustration written across his face. He begins to protest her order, but he falls silent when she gives him a single, piercing look, bowing his head in shame. She laughs at his reaction, kneeling down beside him with a smile,

"Don't worry about it, pal. He's not worth it, believe me." She says. Monferno picks his head up and looks at her wistfully, fully understanding what she's try to say. She stands up and looks back down the way she came, "Besides, we've got something more important to deal with right now."

"Mon?"

Casey looks back down at him with a quirked smile, "We've got some Gligar to return home, of course."


	19. Meeting New Gym Leaders

_Monferno looks up at her with confusion and frustration written across his face. He begins to protest her order, but he falls silent when she gives him a single, piercing look, bowing his head in shame. She laughs at his reaction, kneeling down beside him with a smile,_

 _"Don't worry about it, pal. He's not worth it, believe me." She says. Monferno picks his head up and looks at her wistfully, fully understanding what she's try to say. She stands up and looks back down the way she came, "Besides, we've got something more important to deal with right now."_

 _"Mon?"_

 _Casey looks back down at him with a quirked smile, "We've got some Gligar to return home, of course."_

* * *

"We made it! Third gym badge here we come!"

Casey cheers triumphantly when she and her friends reach the outskirts of the famed Veilstone City, the site of Casey and Ash's next Gym Battles. Casey doesn't know who the Gym Leader is exactly, but she does know that they specialise in Fighting-Type Pokemon. That's not the best for her as she doesn't have any Flying or Psychic-Type Pokemon, but at the same time Pokemon Battles aren't all about type matchups. She believes that she can work alongside her Pokemon and pull out a win. She's already chosen the three Pokemon that she'll use in the battle, so it's just a matter of going in there and battling for the badge.

Her excitement is short lived though; from the trees in the distance a large, blue sphere rushes towards them at breakneck speed. The four of them yell in panic as it approaches, not sure what else to do in the moment. It's on a direct course to hit them!

"Mon-ferno!"

Monferno leaps up from where he's stood by Casey's side and charges up a Mach Punch attack, using that stored up power to smash the blue sphere right before it reaches them, protecting the group of young trainers from being hit. He lands back on the ground as the blue energy dissipates, looking up at his trainer in anticipation for the next attack.

"It's okay, pal." She gives him a reassuring smile, "Thanks for helping us out there. You were great."

He still looks uneasy, though Casey hadn't expected any less from him. More of those spheres are flying out from amongst the trees at a rather rapid rate, though these spheres are nowhere near where they are.

"What was that?" Dawn asks, panic evident in her voice. She's just as on edge as Monferno is.

"Those are Aura Spheres!" Ash gasps, watching the blue spheres with an awestruck expression on his face.

 _Aura Spheres, huh? This is starting to get interesting._

"Lets check it out!" Casey decides rather abruptly, making a rush for the location of the trees. She wants to find out what's going on, "Come on!"

* * *

"This way, guys!"

Casey and Monferno rush around yet another corner in an attempt to reach the source of the Aura Spheres. Right now they're coming up to some kind of gated yard area, and it's here that they see where the Aura Spheres are coming from. Inside the gated area is an athletic looking woman. She's wearing exercise kit and has short pink hair; she's jumping about at a frantic rate as a Lucario fires Aura Spheres at her.

"It's a Lucario!" Ash gasps as he and the others catch up to Casey and Monferno, all of them peering through a gap in the fence at the scene unfolding in front of them. He reaches for his Pokedex and points at the Steel Fighting-Type as it continues to fire Aura Spheres at who Casey assumes is its trainer.

 _"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. By sensing the aura of its opponents, Lucario can read their thoughts and movements."_

Casey takes in that new information about the Aura Pokemon as she continues to watch it train. She's particularly impressed by how the woman is deflecting its attacks. It looks like she's done this before.

"Wait, so what's aura?" Dawn asks, glancing over at the others with a perplexed expression on her face. Casey's actually unsure what aura is herself. She's heard of it before, but she's never had an in depth explanation on the matter. Luckily, she has Brock to give her just that.

"It's a mysterious power some say everyone has. But I've heard that it's stronger in some people than others."

Casey sits back for a moment and contemplates on what Brock's saying. Aura sure is an interesting subject that she's never given much thought before. She'll definitely have to look into it more if she ever gets the chance. Who knows, she might even be able to use it to make herself and her Pokemon even stronger.

She glances back over at the Lucario as it stops firing its Aura Spheres. The woman seems relieved at this, though that relief is short lived as Lucario prepares to attack with another move. The Aura Pokemon extends its slender arms out in front of it and puts them together before extending them out, forming a light green bone of energy before it. Casey knows what move it's trying to use. It's Bone Rush, and by the looks of it Lucario's about to attack the woman with it.

Monferno doesn't seem to want to let that happen.

Much to Casey's surprise, the Playful Pokemon leaps over the fence and rushes towards the Lucario, his fist glowing brightly as he rushes towards the Aura Pokemon. Casey knows exactly what he's trying to do, and she also knows that it won't end well.

"What is Monferno doing?!" Dawn gasps from beside her; she's watching the events unfold her in shock just as Ash and Brock are.

"Stay here, guys. I'll be back." Casey says, deciding then and there what she has to do next.

"Wait, what are you-?"

Ash doesn't get the chance to finish that question before Casey jumps over the fence just like Monferno did before her, running after the Playful Pokemon as fast as she possibly can in order to catch up to him. She knows exactly what Monferno's about to do: he's going to attack Lucario.

"Monferno, wait!"

Despite her efforts, she's unable to reach Monferno in time. The Fire-Type reaches Lucario and smashes its Bone Rush attack with his Mach Punch, the two powerful attacks colliding in a bright flash of light. The woman is clearly surprised at Monferno's arrival and she looks even more surprised when he manages to knock the Lucario back. The two Pokemon stare each other down with fiery glares as they separate; Casey knows that it's only a matter of time before they attack each other again.

Knowing this, Casey's quick to rush to stand between the two riled up Pokemon, directing most of her attention to her own. She looks at Monferno with a stern gaze and speaks to him in a commanding voice, "Monferno, stand down!"

He relaxes slightly, but Casey notices that he's still on edge. That brief spell of calmness is enough for her though, so she takes the chance to glance over at the rather flabbergasted woman stood just behind Monferno. She looks at her apologetically, "Sorry about that. Monferno's not usually like th-."

"Pikachu, wait!"

Casey's quick to turn away from the confused woman when she hears Ash call out to his trusted partner Pokemon; she sees her friends as they chase after Pikachu and Piplup, who are both rushing towards an Electabuzz that is stood near a tall tree. The Pokemon all seem to recognise each other, though that turns out to not be the best thing as the three of them soon end up fighting with each other for seemingly no reason.

"You three cut that out right now!"

"Lucario, we've got to help." The pink haired woman says. Casey looks over at her as she turns to her Lucario, the Aura Pokemon sending a powerful Aura Sphere directly at the feuding Pokemon without so much as a second thought. The Fighting-Type attack makes direct contact and instantly breaks up the angered Pokemon, though it leaves all three of them in a rather dazed state.

"Lucario, that might've been over the top."

Lucario simply grunts in response and looks away from the woman. Casey can't help but notice the hurt that crosses the woman's face at Lucario's reaction, though she looks almost...expecting of it. Casey has a feeling that Lucario's reaction isn't out of character for it.

Despite Lucario's standoffish reaction, the Aura Pokemon shows no hesitation in following its trainer as she rushes towards Ash and the others, clearly desperate to apologise for her Pokemon's actions. Casey stands there and watches from a distance for a few moments, still baffled at what's just occurred. It's not Lucario's sudden and rather misguided attempt at breaking up the Pokemon that surprises her; rather it's Monferno's decision to stop Lucario from attacking its trainer. She's more proud than anything, but his reaction still surprises her nonetheless.

"Mon?"

A smile comes to her face when she looks over at her trusted partner Pokemon, who looks right back at her with curiosity and excitement in his eyes. She knows that he wants to go and find out what's going on; he's just like her.

"Come on, pal." She smiles, "Lets go check this out."

The Playful Pokemon follows after his trainer as she walks over to the group of people stood on the other side of the yard. The first thing that the two of them notice is that there's yet again another new arrival to the group. Ash and the others are talking to a man that she doesn't recognise. He's of a slim build with dark purple hair, and his face has a certain kindness to it that instantly puts Casey at ease. She also concludes that, judging by his attire, he's a Pokemon Breeder. Her Grandfather still wears the same type of clothes when caring for her Pokemon, just as he did for others back in his Pokemon Breeder days.

"A Monferno, huh?" The slim man looks down at Monferno with a fond smile before switching his gaze to Casey, "That means that you must be the famous Casey. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Casey smiles back at him in her best attempts to disguise her confusion. This guy seems friendly enough, but it does feel slightly awkward considering that she doesn't have a clue who he is. Thankfully, Dawn is there to fill in the gaps for her, "Casey, this is Reggie. He's actually Paul's brother and is a Pokemon Breeder."

 _Paul's brother, huh? I wouldn't of guessed that based on his friendly attitude._

Despite her surprise at learning of the mans true identity, she doesn't let that deter her in putting two and two together and coming to some kind of explanation,

"It's great to meet you, Reggie." She smiles before nodding her head over to the Electabuzz, who is stood by a tree with an expression on its face that is similar to that of a sulking child, "So am I right in guessing that Electabuzz is Pauls?"

"That's right." Reggie nods, "Paul was just here to challenge the Veilstone Gym, and whilst he was in the area he decided to leave all of his Pokemon here with me for a little training."

"Oh, so Paul challenged the Velistone Gym, then?"

"Yeah, he won." Reggie replies before gesturing to his left, where the others are all stood watching their conversation unfold, "He defeated her."

Casey looks to Reggie's left and is surprised to see that he is motioning to the pink-haired woman, who is glancing down at the ground with an awkward blush on her face. She's clearly not appreciating the sudden attention. Casey figures that she should avoid making her feel even more awkward by focusing on the matter.

"You're the Gym Leader? That's awesome!" Ash gasps, unable to contain his excitement like Casey is. He simply can't when it comes to Pokemon Battles, "I can't wait to have a Gym Battle against you! Can we have it soon?"

"Sorry, but would you mind going to some other Gym instead?" The woman replies sheepishly, tentatively glancing up from the ground and over at Ash with a timid expression on her face. Her Lucario doesn't seem to be happy with her response, as the Aura Pokemon sends yet another Aura Sphere at its trainer, which soon results in her running hastily around the yard in an attempt to outrun the Aura Pokemon as it pursues her.

"You see, Lucario's been pushing Maylene hard like this all day long. Lucario's not happy with Maylene as a battle partner yet."

Casey draws her attention away from Maylene and looks over at Reggie, not overly surprised when she hears his explanation. She's heard of Pokemon just like Lucario, so the concept of a domineering Pokemon doesn't faze her.

"So Lucario's training Maylene?" Brock murmurs, a small flicker of surprise crossing his calm features, "I've never heard of a Pokemon like that before."

Casey's about to remark that she's heard of a Pokemon just like Lucario before when she is abruptly interrupted by the sound of a gruff voice yelling on the other side of the yard. She looks towards the direction of the noise to find a group of middle-aged Black Belts marching towards Maylene with angered expressions visible on their faces; the timid Gym Leader looks at them fearfully as they approach. Casey considers running over there and telling the Black Belts to back off from Maylene when she sees how fearful she looks, but she stops herself when Reggie provides an explanation.

"Those Black Belts are students of the Veilstone Gym. Actually, Maylene is well respected as a battler, but she became the Gym Leader just six months ago so they're trying to toughen her up."

Casey supposes that makes sense. There's nothing wrong with toughening somebody up, but there has to be a set limit to that at the same time. In fact, Maylene is so fearful of what the Black Belts are saying that she rushes back towards the group, yelling at the pursuing Black Belts as she goes, "Please understand that I don't want to be the Gym Leader anymore!"

"Is it because of Paul?"

Maylene looks away from the Black Belts and over to Reggie as he speaks up, everybody else looking at the kind Pokemon Breeder curiously. They all want to know what he's going on about.

"What did Paul do?" Ash asks, acting on the curiosity that they're all experiencing.

"Veilstone Gym is a Fighting-Type Gym." Reggie begins to explain, "Paul came here using Flying-Type Pokemon, which is a smart strategy. His Murkrow had evolved into a Honchrow, and he polished off Maylene's first and second Pokemon in no time flat. Then, we he battled against Lucario, he cleverly used Magmar, which of course is a Fire-Type."

"I was totally out of sync with Lucario and all of my Pokemon!" Maylene exclaims in shame, "It didn't even look like a battle with a Gym Leader. I can hardly blame the challenger for what he said to me."

Maylene's last sentence is what really catches Casey's attention. She can feel that fiery anger that Paul's disgusting attitude always seems to bring up as she looks over at the Gym Leader with urgency, a fierce tone laced in with her usually calm voice as she talks, "What did he say to you?"

"He called me the weakest." Maylene admits after a brief moment of reluctance, Casey's anger towards Paul flaring up all the more at her response, "He said that I was the weakest leader he ever fought, and that my lightweight badge was just like me."

 _That Paul! How could he be so ignorant and self-absorbed! Does he not think about anything he says?!_

Casey can feel her anger and frustration towards Paul growing by the second. Of course she knew about his cruel tendencies, but she'd never expect him (or anyone for that matter) to act so cruelly towards somebody like a Gym Leader. She can't help but wonder if he's said the same to any other Leaders in the past. She hopes not.

"I'm sorry. Paul's always had a cruel streak in him."

Casey wants to remind Reggie that having a cruel streak doesn't excuse how much of a jerk Paul is, but refrains from it when she considers the fact that Paul is his little brother. He probably knows how cruel he is. He doesn't need her to remind him.

"But the thing is, he was completely right. I do appreciate everything that Lucario's trying to do for me, but-." Maylene sighs.

Casey knows just what Maylene's going to do before she even attempts it. The Gym Leader, not to Casey's surprise, turns around and runs away from the group then, ignoring the Black Belts as they call out to her to stop. Lucario even calls out to its fleeing trainer, an act that seems awfully out of character for the Aura Pokemon. Perhaps Lucario does care for Maylene after all.

"Connolly, I'd like you to let me and Lucario handle this." Reggie says, wasting no time in attempting to deal with the pandemonium that Maylene's caused by rushing away. He addresses the Black Belts before turning back to Casey and the others, speaking to them with an apologetic tone in his voice, "I'm sorry. You must've travelled a very long way."

"It's alright. It would've been awesome to battle Lucario though." Ash muses.

"Come on, lets find another Gym." Brock says, making a logical suggestion just as he always does. Ash reluctantly agrees with Brock's suggestion and begins to follow the taller boy out of the yard, stopping abruptly when Dawn calls out to him.

"Hold on! Ash, wait! I have to say something!" She calls out to the guys, who stop and turn towards her as she looks over at Reggie, "Reggie, may I go and have a chat with Maylene?"

"I suppose that would be okay." Reggie replies.

"Lucario, do you know where Maylene was headed?" Dawn asks as she turns towards Lucario. The Aura Pokemon responds by gesturing towards the direction that Maylene ran in with a grunt in the very same direction, no doubt willing to lead Dawn to his absent trainer.

"Casey, Monferno, Piplup, I'd like you three to come with me."

Casey's initially caught off guard by Dawn's request. She doesn't quite understand why the bluenette requires her assistance, but she can tell that Dawn's not just asking her and Monferno to come along for company. There's a reason why she's asked them to come with her, and both her and Monferno are eager to find out what that reason is.

"Sure, Dawn! We're with you!" She replies confidently to her coordinator friend before herself, Dawn and their Pokemon follow Lucario into the forest that it dashed off into, all of them with one set goal in mind: to find Maylene.

* * *

She finally gets the chance to slow down as they reach an idyllic stream. She can hear the soft sound of the crystal clear water running its course down the stream and she can smell the fresh scent of the pine and oak trees surrounding the area. It becomes apparent to her almost immediately as to why Maylene's chosen to run off here. The Gym Leader in question sits at the side of the flowing stream upon a smooth cluster of rocks, her eyes closed and her feet crossed as she meditates. It doesn't take long for her to sense their presence.

"Lucario, please...just leave me be."

Casey sighs as she responds, knowing full well that this isn't going to be easy. The only way that she's going to listen to them is if they make her listen. She knows that they need to catch her attention.

"We need to talk, Maylene." She says bluntly, deciding that the honest and blunt approach is the best way forward right now. Maylene needs somebody to kick her out of her stupor.

"What do you want?" Maylene asks back, opening her eyes but keeping them focused on the flowing water in the stream. She's clearly too embarrassed to face them, but Casey hopes that she knows that she shouldn't be embarrassed. Struggling to work with your Pokemon and achieve what you're working for isn't new to any of them.

"We want to talk to you." Dawn says softly, trying where Casey failed with the kinder approach, "Is that okay?"

Maylene responds with a shrug this time around, a response which both Casey and Dawn take as a yes. Dawn's the one who moves first, walking over to Maylenes side and taking a seat down beside her. Casey hangs back behind the two of them alongside Lucario whilst Monferno and Piplup begin to run about and play with each other. Casey can't help but smile as she watches the two Pokemon run around together. She had initially thought that she had been the only one to make new friends when she began travelling with Ash, Dawn and Brock - it turns out that her Pokemon have made new friends as well.

"I didn't get past Round One for two Contests in a row. I know how you feel. I'm taking a break."

She turns back towards Maylene and Dawn as the latter speaks up, her eyes fixed on the running water as Maylene looks towards her curiously. Casey feels like she's almost intruding on the conversation when she hears what Dawn's saying, but she finds herself unable to stop listening as her bluenette friend continues on.

"I tell everyone I'm just recharging my batteries, but to be totally honest, I sometimes think that I'm just not cut out for Contests."

"Dawn, please tell me that you're joking!" Casey sighs, walking forward and taking a seat beside her friend as she looks at her pleadingly, "Please don't put yourself down like that again. You're definitely cut out for Contests. You can't give up just because you've hit a bump in the road."

Dawn nods and offers her a small smile, "I know, Casey. I just...sometimes I just end up doubting myself, especially after losing twice in a row."

"I relate." Maylene muses, both girls directing their attention to the Gym Leader when she finally speaks up, "I just can't be a Gym Leader feeling like this! Especially after what Reggie's brother said to me!"

Casey's face softens then, a sympathetic feeling festering in her chest when she hears just how defeated Maylene sounds. All of the Gym Leaders that she's met in the past have been strong and confident in both their abilities and their Pokemon, but Maylene seems to be the polar opposite. She knows from experience that some of the things that Paul says can be incredibly demoralising, but it's only now that she's realising just how much of an impact Paul's comments have had on Maylene's confidence. He's really torn her down, which is something Casey simply can't allow to persist.

"Don't listen to Paul." She says abruptly, finding it difficult to hide the angry tone that's present in her voice when she mentions his name, "He may act like it, but he's not invincible. He loses too."

"How do you know?"

"She defeated him twice, actually."

Maylene's eyes practically bulge out of their sockets when Dawn says that. She looks at the bluenette for a few, brief moments, mouth agape, before looking over at Casey; she looks at the young trainer with a gaze of both surprise and admiration, "How did you manage that?"

"I worked alongside Monferno. We make a good team." She turns around and calls out to her trusted partner Pokemon at that moment, the Playful Pokemon pausing his play session with Piplup to glance over at her as she calls out to him, "Ain't that right, pal?"

"Ferno! Monferno!" He replies gleefully before beginning to chase around Piplup once again, the three girls laughing as they watch the two Pokemon rush about aimlessly. Casey's eyes linger on the two playing Pokemon before she tears her eyes away from them, directing her attention back to Maylene as she speaks up again.

"I wish I could win all of my battles like that."

"So do I." Casey replies quickly, cutting Maylene off before she can get the wrong idea into her head, "I don't win all of my battles. Nobody does, Maylene. I've competed in two League Conferences, and both times I was bested by my last opponent. I ended up being second best; I've never been the strongest. Nobody's invincible, Maylene. Not me, not you or Dawn...not even Paul."

"Mon! Monferno!"

The thee girls instantly snap out of the solemn revere thats fallen over them when Monferno frantically begins to call out, Piplup soon joining in and yelling out just as frantically. Casey snaps her head around to see both Pokemon standing defensively in front of their trainers, glaring fierily at the people standing opposite them. When she lays her eyes upon them, Casey finds herself glaring just like the Pokemon are.

"Team Rocket!" She growls as she stands up, both Dawn and Maylene following suit, albeit the latter rather reluctantly. Her reluctance makes sense considering that she has no idea who the villainous trio stood in front of her are. Even Lucario looks rather confused, but the Aura Pokemon also looks wary at the same time. Casey figures that Lucario must be able to sense that something's not right here - a sense that's spot on in the current circumstances.

"Hey, are these friends of yours?"

"Definitely not!" Casey replies sharply, keeping her eyes fixated on the nefarious trio as Maylene looks over at her with perplexity, "They're crooks who steal other people's Pokemon! They're not the kind of people you want to be friends with!"

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?"

 _Oh, brother! Here it comes!_

"It's speaking to me loud and cle-."

"Will you cut that out?!" Casey shouts, her furious voice cutting the heinous villains off immediately and leaving them rather fearful for a few moments. Casey's kinda glad that she's left them speechless - she really hates that stupid motto, "Now you leave us alone, okay?!"

Jessie laughs hysterically at her feeble protests as soon as she regains her voice, "No can do, Twerpette! We have business to attend to!"

 _Business? What in the world is she going on about?_

"You be careful, Maylene." Dawn says, the bluenette just as wary about Team Rocket as Casey is, "I'm certain that they're after your Lucario."

Both Maylene and Lucario spark into action as Dawn says that, the two of them moving into a defensive stance in perfect synchronisation and staring down Team Rocket, "What do you mean 'after Lucario'?"

Jessie sighs, clearly bored with the conversation, and cuts to her own agenda. She doesn't waste anymore time in explaining why she and her cohorts are here, and it's just what Dawn and Casey suspected, "To be upfront and frank, we're here to offer lucky Lucario a better deal."

"What deal?"

"A winning warrior like Lucario deserves to reside with somebody stronger than this Gym Leader loser." Jessie remarks snidely, clearly referring to herself and her cohorts in a rather conceited manner, a manner which makes Casey's blood boil with anger even more than it already is.

"And that someone is us!" Meowth chimes in overexcitedly, "With you onboard, we'll rule the world!"

Casey hazards a glance over at Lucario, hardly surprised when she sees the Aura Pokemon's stoic reaction to their proposal. She can hear Maylene breathing frantically in anticipation just to her right, but the Gym Leader needn't have bothered feeling so anxious. From what she's seeing, Lucario couldn't care less about Team Rockets offer, a fact that doesn't seem to sit well with Jessie.

"Make up your mind!" She demands, her voice shrill and impatient, "Stay with that sad sack or come along with us!"

Lucario seems to observe the crooks briefly, sizing them up as it decides how to react. Casey can practically feel the tension that surrounds them all as they silently watch the Aura Pokemon, all of them anxious to see its final verdict. The sound of Maylene's frantic breathing only adds to the tension - the Gym Leaders fear of her Pokemon's betrayal is only adding to the culminating tension and severity of the situation. Casey knows that this can go _very_ badly if Lucario makes the wrong decision.

Luckily for herself and her friends, the Aura Pokemon ends up making the right choice. She knows exactly what it's going to do as soon as it thrusts its fists forward, pulling them apart and forming a familiar light green bone of glowing energy.

"What a unique way of telling us it's a deal!" Jessie cheers with glee, clearly misunderstanding what Lucario's doing. She sure is in for a surprise.

"That's some steal!" James chimes in.

That seems to be the final straw for Lucario; the Aura Pokemon decides to put its Bone Rush attack to good use. In one powerful, devastating swing, the Aura Pokemon lunges the luminescent bone directly at Team Rocket, sending them kicking and screaming high up into the sky.

"Wow. Thank you." Maylene murmurs as Lucario turns back to her, lowering her voice slightly as she speaks to him shamefully, "I'll bet you're still mad at me, though."

"If Lucario's angry, it's only because it really cares about you and wants you to battle with it, don't you see?" Dawn says reassuringly, catching the attention of both Maylene and Lucario.

"You think?"

"Dawn's right, Maylene." Casey agrees, "You and Lucario are a great team! You just have to find a way to express that to one another."

"What you and Lucario need is an exciting battle!" Dawn concedes rather suddenly, her voice highlight just how excited she is about her idea, "I know! Why don't you have a battle with me?"

"With you?" Maylene asks, looking at her bemusedly, "But I thought that Casey and Ash were the ones who want to battle with me?"

"I do..."

Casey voice trails off when she looks over at Dawn. As she looks at her bluenette friend she thinks back to what she heard her telling Maylene. Dawn's insecurities really are showing on her right now, and a battle with Maylene might be just what she needs to get her confidence back. She knows that Dawn should be the one to battle with Maylene first; when she considers that, her reply becomes clear.

"Dawn's right. She'll give you a great battle." Casey smiles, "But lets get back to Ash and the others. I reckon they're over at Reggie's right now."

"Mon! Monferno!"

"See? Even Monferno agrees! Let's get going!" She says before taking off back down the way she came, Monferno and her friends rushing after her as she goes. As much as she wants to battle Maylene right away, she's proud of the fact that she made the right decision for her friend.

Besides, it'll be interesting to see Dawn in a full on Pokemon battle.


	20. Witnessing Important Battles

_"Dawn's right. She'll give you a great battle." Casey smiles, "But lets get back to Ash and the others. I reckon they're over at Reggie's right now."_

 _"Mon! Monferno!"_

 _"See? Even Monferno agrees! Let's get going!" She says before taking off back down the way she came, Monferno and her friends rushing after her as she goes. As much as she wants to battle Maylene right away, she's proud of the fact that she made the right decision for her friend._

 _Besides, it'll be interesting to see Dawn in a full on Pokemon battle._

* * *

"Shoes...shoes...Ugh! Where are my shoes?!" Casey groans in frustration as she looks around the hotel room frantically, trying to find her missing shoes amongst the foray of items scattered around the room. She usually wouldn't be making so much as early as it is, but they were lucky enough to get their own rooms when they arrived at the Pokemon Center last night, which was particularly odd considering that they didn't arrive back at the Pokemon Center until late. Casey spent the rest of her afternoon along with Dawn and Brock, the former of whom was training alongside her Pokemon, whilst Ash spent some time with Reggie instead. The skilled Pokemon Breeder was helping Ash teach his Staravia how to use Brave Bird, an incredibly powerful Flying-Type attack.

Still, they all managed to get their own individual rooms, which is right now proving to be a rather bad thing for Casey.

She's trying to find her shoes, which see seems to have misplaced amongst all of her stuff. If she was staying in a room with her friends, then Brock would've made sure that her shoes were in a place that were easy to find, which would've eradicated the problem that she's currently facing. It's far too early in the morning to go and wake him up, so, unfortunately for her, she doesn't have Brock around right now to help her.

"Mon!"

She turns around abruptly when Monferno calls out to her, smiling at the sight of what he has in his hands. She may not have Brock around to help her right now, but at least she has Monferno.

"Thanks, pal." She smiles, walking over to her trusted partner and taking her shoes from his awaiting arms. She takes a seat on the end of her bed, talking to him as she puts on and laces up the newly found shoes excitedly, "You ready for some training, pal?"

"Mon! Monferno!"

"Yeah, well, we can't get too confident. Sure, Dawn's battling Maylene first, but it'll be our turn soon after. We can't drop our guard right now."

"Mon?"

Casey laughs at his inquisuitivism, "Maylene use Fighting-Type Pokemon, pal. They aren't going to go down without a fight."

"Mon! Ferno! Monferno?"

"Yeah, I could call in Xatu or Exeggutor to help us out, but I'd much rather win alongside the Pokemon that I've been training in Sinnoh." Casey replies as she finishes lacing up her shoes, jumping off of the bed with fervour and looking down at Monferno with a broad and confident smile, "So, you ready to go?"

"Mon! Monferno!"

* * *

"Your Fire-Type attacks are gonna be super effective against Lucario. We're gonna need to sharpen those up before we take her on." Casey explains to Monferno as they step outside into the cool morning air, the early morning sun warming them up from the chill.

Monferno replies enthusiastically to her suggestion, listening intently to his trainer without a hint of hesitation as they begin to make their way out towards the training fields nearby.

"I'm thinking of battling with Shellos and Dratini as well. Electabuzz's been working hard, but I think that it's Shellos' time to shine. Don't you, pa-?"

"Piplup, use Bubblebeam! And, Ambipom, you use Swift!"

Casey and Monferno both instantly pick up their pace when they hear a familiar voice yell out just around the corner. They rush around and onto the training fields, both of them watching Dawn train along side her Pokemon in admiration.

Piplup and Ambipom are the ones engaging in a battle right now. Piplup's Bubblebeam attack collides with Ambipom's glittering Swift, the two equally matched attacks colliding and erupting into an array of glistening sparkles. Most people would assume that they're working on a Contest move - it could be a Contest move, it's pretty enough - but Casey knows better. She knows exactly why Dawn's up this early in the morning.

"That was amazing, you two! Keep it up!"

Casey chooses to make her presence known at that moment, stepping forward and speaking up just before Ambipom and Piplup fire off their attacks again, "Working hard?"

"Casey!" Dawn gasps as she turns to face her with a startled expression plastered on her face, "I didn't think that anybody would be up this early."

"Monferno and I wanted to get in some training for our Gym Battle. We'll be going for it right after you." Casey replies, nodding her head towards Ambipom and Piplup, "You're both training really hard! Your moves are looking great!"

Both Pokemon cry out appreciatively at the praise. The three Pokemon soon begin to play about in the meadow as Dawn and Casey slip into a conversation, the two of them watching fondly as their Pokemon run around under the early morning sun being cast over the field.

"So, are you ready for your battle today?"

"I'm...I'm not sure." Dawn replies tentatively after a few moments of deliberation, "I know that my Pokemon are working hard, but what if I'm not good enough for them? What if I can't bring out the best in them?"

"And what makes you think that that's going to happen?" Casey counters.

"I don't know..." Dawn sighs, "It's just...well, after what happened in Hearthome City and then in Solaceon Town..."

Casey feels a great sense of sympathy for Dawn in that moment. Of course, she heard yesterday just how much Dawn's Contest losses have been affecting her, but she knows that she can't let her friends doubts stop her from taking on new challenges. She knows that she needs to set the record straight for the disheartened Coordinator.

"Dawn, you need to understand that this isn't a Contest Battle that you're walking into. It's a Gym Battle. Sure, they have similarities, but they aren't the same. Gym Battles are about drawing the strengths of your Pokemon out with your own strength. They're about working alongside your Pokemon to best your opponents. They're about finding the power that you never even knew you possessed and using that power to your advantage."

"But what if you don't have any of that power?"

Casey sighs, "Dawn, can I give you one piece of advice?"

Dawn nods back, a sudden look of curiosity and optimism crossing her face at Casey's suggestion.

"Believe in your Pokemon. I know it sounds simple, but the first step towards winning a battle is believing in your Pokemon. If you believe in them, they'll believe in themselves, and if they do that, they'll fight with all they have."

"I need to believe in my Pokemon." Dawn murmurs, the bluenette taking a moment to consider what Casey's saying before replying. She looks back at her friend with a confident and grateful smile, "Thanks for the advice, Casey! I'll be sure to use it during my battle!"

Casey smiles back. Part of her feels like she should say more, especially when she thinks back to what she heard Dawn say to Maylene yesterday when they were by the stream. She didn't get the chance to properly talk to Dawn about it last night due to how late they got in. But, then again, she doesn't want to knock Dawn's confidence right now, not when she's just helped her pick it back up again. She can talk to her about it another time.

"So, can Monferno and I join in with your training session?" Casey asks, gesturing over to the playing Pokemon with a curt nod, "I reckon we could learn a thing or two from you guys."

"Of course! Though, I think that we're the ones who should be learning from you." Dawn replies as she begins to make her way towards the Pokemon.

"We'll see about that, Dawn." Casey chuckles as she follows on after her friend, "We'll see."

* * *

"Ambipom is unable to battle!"

Casey winces as Dawn solely returns her fallen Ambipom to her Pokeball, the Long Tail Pokemon having just felt the devastating blows of Maylene's Lucario's Bone Rush attack. The Aura Pokemon brandishes the glowing bone around before it dissipates, its trainer praising it for its performance in battle. Casey's in awe of Maylene and her Pokemon. She's been working in perfect sync with them all; Dawn's put up a fair fight of her own. Dawn's down to her last Pokemon whilst Maylene is still on her second. Despite having the advantage, Casey knows that Dawn isn't going to back down. She can still do this.

"That was incredible!" Ash gasps, his usual tone of excitement present as he keeps his eyes fixed on the battlefield, "Maylene and Lucario are something else!"

"When Maylene and Lucario are working perfectly in sync, lets just say that I doubt anyone will find any kind of opening. It looks like Dawn's reawakened Maylene's passion for battling and ignited her team's spirit." Reggie explains.

Casey listens intently to the Pokemon Breeder's insight. He seems to know Maylene quite well so she has no doubt in what he's saying, but she still has all of her faith in Dawn. She knows that her friend can pull out a win here as long as she continues to trust in her Pokemon.

With that in mind, Casey turns her attention back towards the battlefield, watching eagerly as Dawn selects her third and final Pokemon for battle.

"Now, Piplup! You're up next!"

The determined Coordinator throws Piplup's Pokeball out onto the battlefield with gusto. The Penguin Pokemon materialises from a bright flash of light with an excitable cry, clearly eager to get the battle underway.

"Alright, give me everything you've got!" Maylene calls out, moving into a steady stance as she prepares for the battle to continue on.

"I wouldn't think of doing anything else!" Dawn retorts steadily, keeping up a confident resolve as she quickly calls out her first command, "Piplup, use Bubble Beam!"

Piplup launches himself up into the air and flips his small body around. Judging by his theatrical movements, Piplup's clearly retaining some of his Contest style in this battle. The spectacle is almost mesmerising to watch, but his movements are soon forgotten when Piplup opens up his beak and releases a stream of bubbles at his opponent.

"Dodge it!" Maylene counters, "Then use Aura Sphere!"

Lucaro listens directly to her commands, leaping out of the way as the stream of bubbles races towards it. The Aura Pokemon dodges the attack with ease, countering by pressing its palms together and firing off a blue sphere of energy at Piplup. The powerful Fighting-Type attack makes a direct hit on Piplup, sending the Penguin Pokemon flying backwards with a wail.

"That was a direct hit!" Brock gasps, watching in shock as Piplup slides backwards across the battlefield.

Dust kicks up off the ground as Piplup's foot slides across the ground; he desperately attempts to brace himself as he tries to recover from the attack. He picks his head up from the ground and glares angrily back at Lucario, surprising everyone when he corrects himself and stands tall as if the attack did absolutely nothing.

"It did nothing!" Maylene says in astonishment, her eyes wide as she looks over at Piplup. She clearly wasn't expecting Lucario's attack to do no damage, that's for sure.

Ash calls out enthusiastically to Piplup, praising him for his performance in battle. Piplup responds happily to his praise before focusing his attention of his opponent again, ready to rush into action when Dawn calls out her next command, "Piplup, use Whirlpool, let's go!"

Piplup's small body glows brightly as he raises his arms and open beak into the air. A small spout of water begins to form at his beak, and soon it progresses into a fully sized Whirlpool at the tip of his beak. He thrusts the Whirlpool towards Lucario and the Aura Pokemon becomes ensnared amongst the fast flowing currents, trapped within the powerful Water-Type attack.

"Alright! Lucario's trapped!" Dawn cheers triumphantly, taking action whilst she still has the advantage by calling out yet another command, "Piplup, it's time to use Peck! Let's go!"

Piplup jumps up above the Whirlpool as his beak glows brightly. He dives down into the vortex and begins to swim towards Lucario, his actions evidently mirroring a move that would commonly be seen in a Contest.

"Using Contest techniques to cover their bad matchup!" Reggie remarks, "Nice strategy!"

Casey keeps her eyes fixed on the action as Maylene orders Lucario to use Metal Claw immediately. The spikes on Lucario's paws shine brightly and extend out, forming sharp-bladed claws on the top of its paws. It swings out with its claws and cuts right through the Whirlpool, halting Piplup's attempts to get a close-up shot on Lucario.

"They're both doing great!" Ash says encouragingly.

"Maylene and Lucario are totally in sync, and it has everything to do with Dawn's passionate battling style stirring things up!"

"I'm thinking the same thing, Reggie." Casey adds, turning briefly away from the battlefield to look at him, "Dawn's really giving it her all, and it's inspiring Maylene to work just as hard. I'm not even sure who's going to end up winning this battle because it's so intense."

"Now, Piplup! Bubble Beam!"

Casey looks back to the battlefield as Dawn calls out yet another order to Piplup, who stands tall and fires off a onslaught of bubbles at Lucario. The Aura Pokemon runs between the bubbles and dodges them with ease, listening carefully to its trainer as she calls out an unfamiliar command to Casey and everybody else who's spectating, "Use Force Palm!"

Lucario strikes the flat of its palm out at Piplup, making direct contact with the tiny penguins body. Piplup stands there for a few moments, startled and confused as to what Lucario's doing, and its only when Lucario pushes its palm out that the Penguin Pokemon reacts. Lucario fires off an intense light green blast at Piplup, which sends him flying backwards upon impact with a wail. He lands back on the ground with a resounding thud, wincing heavily as small jolts of electricity crackle around his body.

"Whoa! What kinda move was that!" Ash gasps, a shocked expression on his face when he sees Piplup's body crackling with electricity.

"Force Palm, it's a Fighting-Type move." Reggie explains, "First, you get past your opponents defence. Then, you hit them with masses of energy stored up in your palm."

 _Force Palm, huh? We're going to have to keep an eye out for that during our battle. That paralysis could be a problem._

Casey's eyes flicker back to Piplup, watching with pride as the wounded Penguin Pokemon pushes himself up off of the ground and shakes off the paralysis. He stands tall, his arms extended out defensively as he stares down his opponent once again.

"Alright, Piplup! That's the way it's done!" Dawn praises.

Lucario grunts out a curt reply to Piplup's response; Maylene's quick to respond to what her partner Pokemon's saying, "You're right, Lucario! This battle is fun! I haven't been this pumped up in a while!"

Dawn's definitely helped Maylene regain her battling spirit. Both her and Dawn are pumped up and ready to continue fighting, Maylene being the first one to make the next move, "Now, Lucario! Use Aura Sphere!"

Lucario pushes its palms together once again and forms yet another Aura Sphere. He thrusts his palms outwards and launches the sphere towards Piplup. Dawn acts quickly and orders a counter attack, "Piplup! Peck!"

Piplup's beak glows brightly as he rushes towards the Aura Sphere. His sharpened beak cuts right through the sphere as if it was a mere bubble of water, rendering the attack null and void. Piplup continues to rush towards the stunned Lucario and smashes into it with his beak, sending Lucario flying backwards much to the surprise of Maylene. Lucario braces itself on the battlefield, and Maylene checks to make sure that it's okay before directing her attention towards Dawn.

"Since Peck is a Flying-Type move, it's a good match against the Fighting-Type Aura Sphere." Dawn explains confidently, a proud smirk on her face at the mention of her strategy, "Of course that means that we can still win this thing!"

Maylene doesn't seem to be willing to let what Dawn's saying deter her and fights back with just as much ferocity, "Now, Aura Sphere, once more!"

"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!"

Piplup counters Lucario's approaching Aura Sphere with another onslaught of bubbles; a small explosion erupts when the two attacks collide. A cloud of thick smoke cloaks the battlefield, which prompts Dawn to take action whilst the cover is still available.

"And now, use Peck!"

Piplup rushes right through the cloud of smoke with his beak extended out. Casey and the others are caught off guard when he comes out of the other end of the smoke cloud without hitting Lucario. At first, Casey doesn't quite realise where Lucario's gone, but it all becomes clear when she notices that Lucario's jumped high above Piplup and is towering over him. Dawn notices too and she desperately calls out to Piplup, but it's too late by that point. Maylene's ready to give one last decisive command to draw the battle to a close.

"Force Palm!"

Lucario shoots down and strikes Piplup with its palm, resulting in a bright flash of light to erupt around the two of them. Dust kicks up from the battlefield and conceals both of them from sight, leaving Maylene, Dawn, Casey and all else spectating waiting anxiously to see the final result of the battle. When the dust clears and Lucario withdraws its palm, they all get the chance to see the outcome of the insanely powerful attack.

And it's not looking good for Dawn.

"Piplup is unable to battle!" Connally, who's acting as the referee for the battle, proclaims, "Which means the winner of this battle is the Gym Leader, Maylene!"

 _That's it. I guess Dawn lost._

Casey looks over at her bluenette friend, watching with a guilty feeling as she kneels down beside her fallen Pokemon and pulls him into her arms. She looks so crestfallen, and after all of that hard work she put in...

She follows Ash as he approaches Dawn, looking down at her with a reassuring smile as he tries to pick up her spirits, "You both battled really well! You should be proud, Dawn!"

"Thanks, but we lost." Dawn sighs, looking up at Ash with a feeble smile plastered on her face.

"C'mon, Dawn! That was an awesome battle! You sure got my psyched for my next challenge!"

Casey decides that she should join in with Ash in his attempts to cheer Dawn up and she echoes his sentiments, "Ash is right, Dawn. You really put up a good fight out there, and you brought back Maylene's battling spirit. You were awesome out there!"

"Thanks, you two." Dawn smiles as she stands up from the ground, still holding onto Piplup in her arms as Maylene and Lucario approach.

"I don't know how to thank you, Dawn." Maylene says gratefully, "I forgot all about my fears and about winning or losing. All I could think about was how much fun it was. Wow! It sure felt like old times!"

Casey can tell from just looking at Maylene that she's a changed person. Casey would've laughed if somebody would've told her that Maylene would act like this just yesterday. Dawn's battle really has changed her for the better; Dawn managed to bring Maylene back.

"That really means so much to me." Dawn replies earnestly, clearly appreciative of what Maylene's saying, "And, hey! I reckon you'll have at least as much fun when you have your battles with Ash and Casey!"

Maylene nods, "And after our battle, I just have to stay on as Gym Leader. Our battle reminded me just how much fun being a Gym Leader can be."

"That's the spirit, Maylene!" Casey replies determinedly, "I can't wait until our battle! I hope you're expecting a tough challenge!"

Maylene replies without a hint of hesitation, "I wouldn't expect anything less. Bring it on."


	21. Taking on Gym Leader Number 3

_"That really means so much to me." Dawn replies earnestly, clearly appreciative of what Maylene's saying, "And, hey! I reckon you'll have at least as much fun when you have your battles with Ash and Casey!"_

 _Maylene nods, "And after our battle, I just have to stay on as Gym Leader. Our battle reminded me just how much fun being a Gym Leader can be."_

 _"That's the spirit, Maylene!" Casey replies determinedly, "I can't wait until our battle! I hope you're expecting a tough challenge!"_

 _Maylene replies without a hint of hesitation, "I wouldn't expect anything less. Bring it on."_

* * *

"And so, the challenger: Casey from Pastoria City!" Connally hollers in his deep voice, looking over to Casey's side of the battlefield expectantly.

Casey wastes no time in replying, her voice oozing with excitement and determination as she does so. She's more than ready for this, "I'm here and I'm ready to go!"

Connally nods respectfully towards her. He then directs his attention towards Maylene, who is stood on the opposite end of the battlefield and is just as ready as Casey to battle, "And the Veilstone City Gym Leader, Maylene!"

"I'm here!"

Casey can practically feel it. The tense yet welcome atmosphere that she always feel whenever she challenges a Gym. She can feel the passion radiating off of Maylene. She can feel the excitement coming off of Ash, the observance from Brock as the reserved Pokemon Breeder watches on in a comfortable silence. She can hear Dawn at the side of the field, her Coordinator friend cheering her on from the side of the battlefield as she always does. This is the feeling she's been yearning for since she walked out of the Eterna City Gym.

This is a Gym Battle.

"And now, the Gym Battle between Casey, the challenger, and Maylene, the Gym Leader, is about to begin!" Connally proclaims, during his duty to the gym by explaining the rules of battle, "Each side will use three Pokemon, and the challenge will be over when all three Pokemon on one side are unable to battle! Also, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute Pokemon!"

Casey's hand subconsciously goes into her pocket, ready to send her first Pokemon out to battle within a moments notice. She's simply so pumped up to finally be battling for her third badge - she can hardly wait! She glances towards her friend and calls out to Electabuzz, who is sat beside Ash and is spectating the match.

"Electabuzz, you be sure to watch our battle, okay?"

Electabuzz grunts out a response and turns his head away from her, holding his head up high and refusing to look at her. Casey can't help but laugh at his reaction. Electabuzz can be so damn prideful sometimes - he's in such a state because he's not battling today. It's Shellos' time to shine, so she had to choose one of her Pokemon to sit this one out. That Pokemon just so happened to be Electabuzz this time around.

"I think Electabuzz is a bit grumpy." Ash remarks with a chuckle.

His laughter soon grinds to a halt when Electabuzz shoots a piercing glare at him, making the fearful Kanto native hold his hands up submissively and frantically attempt to apologise,

"I'm only kidding, Electabuzz!" He lets out a nervous laugh, "Forget I said anything!"

Casey chortles at his reaction before directing her attention towards Electabuzz, her commanding yet kind voice instantly drawing the Electric Pokemon's attention, "I promise it'll be you next time, Electabuzz. I need you to keep an eye on the battle though so you can learn how to counter certain moves. I'm really gonna need your help next time around, 'kay?"

Electabuzz stills look rather disgruntled, but he picks his head up slightly when she mentions her next Gym Battle. She seems to have won him over for now. With that in mind, she directs her attention back towards the battlefield, her hand going straight back to her pocket to grab her first Pokeball.

Maylene makes the first move, throwing a single Pokeball out in front of her with gusto, "Go! Meditite!"

The Pokeball bursts open and the Meditate Pokemon emerges in a bright flash of light, appearing on the field in a meditation pose with a calm expression on its face. Meditite's calm demeanour intrigues Casey; she nonetheless responds quickly by sending her first Pokemon out onto the field.

"Let's go, Dratini!"

Casey launches the Pokeball out in front of her and Dratini bursts out from it, sounding off with a loud battle cry. Her eagerness is in direct opposition with Meditite's stoic nature, and Casey uses that to her advantage by starting off quickly.

"Dratini, lets start this off with Twister!"

Dratini follows her trainers command and generates a large twister in the space just in front of her; the growing Twister even whips up some of the dust from the surface of the battlefield, cloaking the surrounding area in a light layer of dust. Dratini finishes charging up the attack and launches it directly at Meditite, but Maylene is quick to counter her attempts.

"Dodge it!"

Meditite swift moves to the side and dodges the incoming attack, remaining calm and poised throughout. Casey groans inwardly, frustrated that the attack didn't go as planned, but she doesn't let that stop her from giving Dratini another command. She decides that it's best to go for the heaviest hitting move this time around.

"Use Draco Meteor!"

Dratini tilts her head towards the ceiling and generates a large orb of energy. She fires it off moments later to the top of the room, where it splits and numerous orbs begin to rain down on the battlefield. Casey smirks to herself, thinking that she's caught Maylene out here, but that smirk soon fades with Maylene's next command.

"Meditite, use Detect!"

 _Of course! How could I forget that move?!_

Casey mentally slaps herself for her forgetfulness. She literally watched Meditite use that move yesterday during Maylene's battle with Dawn. She should've known that Maylene would counter Draco Meteor with it. She watches knowingly as Meditite swiftly dodges the onslaught of meteors, all of which plummet into the battlefield without so much as coming near Meditite. Dratini seems caught of guard at this - she's never seen the move be used, after all. Casey's seen it before of course, but it's new territory for the Dragon Pokemon.

"Stay focused, Dratini!" She calls out reassuringly, "Use Dragon Rage!"

Dratini regains her composure and obeys Casey's command, firing off an intense ray of red light at her target. Casey half expects Maylene to order Meditite to use Detect again, but she surprises her instead by ordering the Mediation Pokemon to do something different.

"Dodge it, and then follow up with Confusion!"

 _Confusion!? Not Confusion!_

Casey was worried about Meditite's Psychic-Type moves before the battle even began. Psychic-Type moves can be a force to be reckoned with if you use them wisely. She should know - she's trained a fair few Psychic-Type Pokemon in the past. She watches as Meditite's eyes glow a purple colour; soon, Dratini's body becomes surrounded in a purple aura of an identical colour to Meditite's eyes. Casey knows what's about to happen, but it still shocks her when it does nonetheless.

Meditite strikes its hand out in front of it. It lifts its hand up in the air, which lifts the defenceless Dratini up with it, before thrusting its arm back down again, bringing Dratini back down with a resounding thud. The Dragon Pokemon wails in pain as it smacks into the hard ground, taking a considerable amount of damage upon impact.

"Dratini, no!" Casey calls out, watching in desperation as Dratini writhes about in a confused state. The effects of Meditite's Confusion are clearly taking their toll on Dratini.

Maylene decides to waste no time, acting on the opportunity that she's been presented with by calling out yet another command, "Use Drain Punch!"

She watches with wide eyes as Meditite's glowing green fist gets closer and closer to Dratini, who's still writhing around in a confused state. She acts on a fearful impulse and pulls out Dratini's Pokeball from her pocket once again, yelling out desperately as Meditite continues to draw nearer.

"Dratini, return!"

Red light bounds towards Dratini and encompasses her body, beaming her right back to her capsule just before Meditite can reach her. Meditite quickly retreats back to its trainer when it realises this, whilst Casey racks her brain to try and decide what to do next. This isn't how she wanted this battle to go.

"What's your next move, Casey?" Maylene calls out to her. She doesn't sound cocky or smug, she sounds more curious than anything. Casey's appreciative of her understanding nature, but it doesn't do much for her nerves.

 _The plan was for Dratini to take down the first Pokemon she sent out! That way Shellos could follow up, and then Monferno could finish it off! Come on, Casey! You need to adapt to this!_

She hastily withdraws her second Pokeball of the battle and tosses it out in front of her, trying to hide the desperation creeping its way into her voice as she does so, "Shellos, lets go!"

The Pokeball flies forward and lands on the spot where Dratini was stood. It bursts open and Shellos bursts out from within it, the Sea Slug Pokemon crying out just as enthusiastically as Dratini did before her. As much as Casey enjoys watching her Pokemon amidst her excitement, her urgency prompts her to act fast.

"Shellos, use Rain Dance!"

Shellos snaps out of her excitement and directs her attention towards the ceiling. She lets out a loud cry which echoes around the room; it summons an array of dark clouds that rain down on the battlefield, soaking the ground and casting a dark shadow over the field.

"If you're going to boost your attack, then so will we!" Maylene calls out defiantly, "Now, Meditite! Use Meditate!"

Meditite complies to its trainers command. The Meditation Pokemon takes a seat on the soggy ground of the battlefield, closing its eyes briefly as its body becomes surrounded in a white aura.

 _We're both working on boosted attack power now, and with Meditite's Detect, they've got the upper hand. Then again, Detect stops working after a while. If I can trick her into using it over and over again, we can corner them and win this!_

"Shellos, use Water Pulse!"

Shellos eagerly opens her mouth and generates a solid ball of water, firing it off towards her opponent in a spiral. The spiral surges towards Meditite, but Maylene is quick to utilise her common counter strategy.

"Use Detect!"

The Meditation Pokemon effortlessly dodges the forthcoming attack, much to Casey's chagrin. The Pastoria native grits her teeth frustratingly, but her anger still fades away when she thinks back to her improvised plan. She knows that she's just got to stick with it.

"Use Water Pulse again!"

"Dodge it with Detect!"

Another water spiral rushes towards Meditite, who simply dodges it just as effortlessly as it did before. Casey can feel her frustration growing by the second, but she presses on. She knows that they must be close now.

"Use Water Pulse again, Shellos!" She calls out determinedly, "And use all of the power that you've got!"

Shellos responds with a curt cry of recognition before zoning in her focus on Meditite. She generates yet another Water Pulse, but Casey instantly notices that this one is far greater in size than those before it. She knows that Shellos really is pouring all of her power into this attack.

"Dodge it again with Detect, Meditite!" Maylene retaliates quick, calling out a precise command to her awaiting Pokemon as Shellos finishes generating the Water Pulse.

Shellos fires off her charged up attack with extreme force at her opponent. Meditite's glowing green eyes falter as the spiral approaches, and it's then and there that Casey knows her plan's been a success. Meditite's eyes widen in fear as the spiral races dangerously close to it; the intense attack collides with the Meditation Pokemon moments later. The force of the water sends it flying up into the air with a screech.

"Meditite! No!"

Meditite smashes down onto the ground with an unprecedented force, scattering dust everywhere upon its forceful impact. Casey almost begins to cheer triumphantly, thinking that they've finally knocked down the Meditation Pokemon, but her hopes are soon crushed when Meditite manages to get back up again, albeit after much struggle. It manages to push itself up from the ground, standing upon shaky legs as it looks back at Shellos with as much strength as it can muster.

Casey grits her teeth for the second time. She really thought that they got Meditite that time around. However, she knows that they've sent Maylene into panic, as she can distinctively see that the Gym Leader's eyes are dark in deep thought. She's clearly desperately trying to come up with a counter strategy; her eyes light up in relief when she finally comes up with something.

"Quick, Meditite!" She calls out, "Use Drain Punch!

Meditite feebly calls back in response, signifying that its understood the command. Casey has an idea on how to counter this, but she needs to wait until the perfect time before she enacts her plan. Timing is everything when it comes to strategies, after all.

Shellos glances back at her as Meditite begins to rush towards her, the Meditation Pokemon's glowing green fist appearing quite menacing given the circumstances. She knows that Shellos is nervous and is desperate to act, but she needs to hold out for a little bit longer. Casey gives her a curt yet confident nod; it takes a second to register before the Sea Slug Pokemon nods back, directing her attention back to her opponent as it draws even nearer.

 _Not yet...not yet._

She finally acts when Meditite comes into a reasonably close range. She calls out to Shellos sharply and confidently, "Dodge it by jumping up!"

Shellos leaps up high into the air just as Meditite flails its glowing fist forward, the attack missing by a mile as Shellos dodges it with ease. Meditite's expression matches that of its trainers, both of them looking up at Shellos with expressions of pure shock. They certainly weren't expecting Shellos to jump up so high. The Sea Slug Pokemon towers over her opponent, her body slick with the persistently falling rainfall thats lasted throughout the battle. This is the perfect chance to finish this up.

"Alright, Shellos!" Casey shouts, punching her fist out in front of her as she calls out one last command with gusto, "Use Mud Bomb and finish this up!"

Shellos acts without hesitation. She opens her mouth up mid air, showering multiple rounded balls of mud at her opponent. The onslaught of muddy projectiles crash into Meditite and the ground around it, kicking up dirt and dust across the field. Shellos lands comfortably on the ground just in front of her trainer and she takes a glance back at Casey, calling out triumphantly for what she's just pulled off. Casey flashes a quick smile in her direction before directing her attention back towards Meditite, watching in anticipation as the dust begins to clear. The dark rain clouds overhead also dissipate, stopping the heavy downpour as the remaining particles of dust clear away.

They finally clear away, revealing Meditite to be down for the count, spirals covering its eyes as it lays there unconscious.

"Meditite is unable to battle!" Connally declares, "And so, the winner of this battle is Shellos!"

"Great job, Shellos." Casey praises, the Sea Slug Pokemon responding with a content reply, clearly glad to be receiving such praise.

"That was awesome!" Ash calls out suddenly from where he's spectating, catching everybody out when he leaps up from his seat and chants enthusiastically, "That was some battle! You were both awesome!"

"Wow. Thank you, Ash." Maylene replies politely, a faint blush sweeping over her cheeks as she returns Meditite to its Pokeball.

Casey turns to look over at her friends as she reaches for her second Pokeball, focusing her attention on Electabuzz in particular. The Electric Pokemon is watching Maylene carefully, his awareness still intact despite not actually being in the battle.

"Hey, Electabuzz!" She catches his attention when she calls out to him, her lip quirking into a smile when he looks over at her curiously, "What do you reckon? Did we do well?"

He grumbles out a reply that's quite hard to make out, but she understands what he's trying to say when he gives her a small nod of approval before shifting his eyes back to Maylene once again. She smiles and stifles a chuckle at his actions before directing her attention back to Maylene herself, watching eagerly as she sends out her second Pokemon.

"Alright, Machoke! Come on out!"

Machoke bursts out of its capsule mid-air, materialises on its side of the battlefield with a loud battle cry. Its voice booms around the room, the ferocity of which sends a noticeable shiver down Shellos' spine. Machoke is much larger than her previous opponent. Casey's not surprised that Shellos is intimidated.

"Does the challenger wish to make any substitutions?"

Casey looks down at Shellos as Connally asks that, wanting to double check that the Sea Slug Pokemon is willing to continue battling. If she's too intimidated by her opponent, she's not going to be able to draw out all of her strength to battle with. Shellos seems to sense Casey's eyes on her, as she turns around to look at her trainer within mere moments. She responds with a small smile and a nod; Casey knows exactly what her Pokemon's trying to say just through her simple actions.

She looks back to Connally, responding confidently and without hesitation, "No. Shellos is gonna keep going."

Connally nods before directing his attention back towards the centre of the battlefield, ready for one of them to call out their first attack. Casey decides to act first, working on the momentum that Shellos has already established from her previous battle with Meditite to their advantage.

"Now, Shellos! Use Water Pulse!"

Shellos acts fast, generating yet another Water Pulse at the front of her mouth almost immediately after being ordered to. She fires off the spiral of water at Machoke, but Maylene's ready for a counter attack as soon as she does.

"Dodge it!"

Machoke swiftly avoids the spiral of water, manoeuvring its bulky body out of the way of the attack with relative ease. It stands steadily to the side of the battlefield, ready to attack as soon as Maylene gives the command.

"Now use Brick Break!"

"Dodge it, Shellos!"

Machoke races forward at top speed, its hand glowing brighter and brighter as it gets closer. Shellos attempts to jump out of the way of the attack, but the Superpower Pokemon slams its hand down with extreme force, smashing Shellos hard into the ground and preventing her from escaping. Shellos screeches in pain as she crashes down into the ground whilst Machoke retreats to a safe distance, preventing its struggling opponent from launching any close range counter attack.

"Shellos!" Casey cries out in concern, "Are you okay?"

The Sea Slug Pokemon responds with a feeble cry, pushing herself up off of the ground after much struggle. She manages to find her bearings rather quickly, staring down her opponent with a fiery determination in her eyes.

That attack _hurt_ , and now Shellos is eager to fight back.

"That was a powerful attack, Maylene." Casey complements, the corner of her mouth quirking into a confident smirk as she talks, "It sure has got Shellos all fired up!"

"Shell! Shellos!"

Casey laughs at her Pokemon's fiery response, nodding her head towards her as her smirk grows, "See what I mean?"

"You can be as fired up as you want, but there's no way that your countering our next attack!" Maylene shouts back confidently.

 _Not if we counter first!_

"Now, Shellos! Use Mud Bomb on the ground!"

Casey's command puzzles everybody else in the room, particularly Maylene, which gives Shellos the perfect time to execute the attack. The Sea Slug Pokemon lurches her neck forward and launches a group of well rounded yet sturdy mud bombs at the ground just in front of her opponent. The mud bombs immediately kick up dust from the battlefield upon impact, creating a debris-based barrier between the two battling Pokemon.

 _That's part one sorted. Now it's time for part two!_

"Alright, Shellos! Jump up!"

Shellos' body flings up into the air as she pushes herself up off of the dusty ground with great force, soaring up high above the makeshift barrier she's just formed. Machoke's eyes dart about in a panicked state, the Superpower Pokemon desperately trying to figure out what Shellos is up to.

"Now, use Water Pulse!" Casey cries, acting quickly on the momentum that Shellos is working with.

She doesn't actually see Shellos' Water Pulse hit due to the dusty barrier blocking Machoke from her sight, but she knows that its worked when she hears Machoke let out a gruff cry of discomfort and pain. Shellos lands easily back on the ground with a determined cry, observing comfortably as the dust barrier begins to clear. The dust dissipates, revealing Machoke to be kneeling upon one knee where it was stood before, visibly wincing in pain as Maylene look at it in concern.

"Machoke!" She calls out desperately, "Are you okay?"

Machoke surprises Casey when it manages to stand back on its own two feet. Its foot pounds onto the ground as it manages to shift up from where it's kneeling on its knee; its footsteps boom on the ground and echo around the room, sending yet another shiver up Shellos' spine. Machoke isn't letting up so easily.

"This is getting interesting, Maylene!" Casey calls out, standing her ground despite sensing Shellos' nerves, "But don't start thinking that Shellos and I are going to give up! No, we're just getting started!"

"I wouldn't expect anything less!" Maylene shouts back. She strikes her hand out and points a finger directly at Shellos, calling out yet another command with a fiery passion in her voice, "Machoke! Now use Seismic Toss!"

Machoke surges towards Shellos at a remarkable speed. Casey barely has the time to react before its grip latches onto Shellos, restraining the struggling Sea Slug Pokemon in a vice like grip. Machoke leaps up into the air, admittedly with not as much vigour due to its weakened state, and begins to spin rapidly whilst airborne, charging up the power that it'll use to smash Shellos into the ground. Casey knows that this attack will end the battle if it's executed correctly, and it won't end well for Shellos if that occurs.

Casey knows that she's running on borrowed time, which explains why her next order perhaps isn't the most thought provoking nor logical command that she's given. Regardless, she feels as if she's out of options as Machoke begins to toss Shellos towards the ground from its high elevation, which is why she acts without much thought.

"Use Mud Bomb!"

In a last ditch attempt to even the score, Casey orders Shellos to fire off another attack as she begins to plummet towards the ground. The Sea Slug Pokemon obliges despite her panicked state, managing to fire off a small array of mud bombs at her opponents just before she smashes into the ground. Shellos kicks up an explosion of dirt as she crashes down, obscuring both herself and Machoke from the view of all those observing.

Everybody watches with bated breath as the dust begins to clear. Casey's knows that Shellos took a lot of damage, but she hopes that the Sea Slug Pokemon might be able to hold out a little longer. If not, she sincerely hopes that her Mud Bomb attack was successful and made contact with Machoke. If it did, then they'll technically have the edge. She really hopes that's the case.

The dust cloud manages to clear away moments later, revealing the fate of both of the Pokemon in the battle. Lying on the ground is both Machoke and Shellos, both of their eyes covered in swirls as they lay there unconscious just as Meditite did before them.

 _Shellos' Mud Bomb hit after all._

"Both Shellos and Machoke are unable to battle!" Connally announces, "I declare this round a draw!"

Casey rushes out of her battle box as soon as Connally makes his verdict, kneeling down beside Shellos and pulling the weak Water-Type into her arms. Shellos rouses from unconscious and looks up at her apologetically, letting out a feeble cry as she attempts to regain her strength.

"Hey, it's okay." Casey shushes, smiling down at her fallen friend, "You were incredible out there, okay? I couldn't have done it without you."

"Shell!"

Casey smiles, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing Shellos' Pokeball, pointing the device down at the Sea Slug Pokemon, "You deserve a nice long rest."

Shellos dematerialises inside of her capsule in a flash of quick, bright light, leaving Casey kneeling alone in the middle of the battlefield. She glances up to look at Maylene, watching intently as the Maylene returns Machoke to its Pokeball, commending it for its performance in battle. Casey stands up and makes her way back to her battle box, ready to send out her next Pokemon when Maylene calls out to her.

"Are you ready, Casey?" She asks, the Gym Leader gripping her last Pokeball firmly in her right hand, "I hope you don't think that this battle is over just yet. We're just getting started!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Maylene." Casey replies confidently, "Bring it on!"

Maylene smirks at that. She throws out her third and final Pokeball, calling out her final Pokemon's name with even more enthusiasm and confidence than she did for the previous two, "Let's go, Lucario!"

"Monferno, get fired up!"

Both airborne capsules crack open, bright flashes of light spilling out of the both of them as the two eager Pokemon emerge. They both land firmly upon the battlefield; they let out battle cries equally matched in volume and determination. Both Maylene and Casey know that this is going to be the most action packed battle yet.

"Let's start this out with Flame Wheel, Monferno!"

An excitable glint flashes across Monferno's eyes as he hears his first command. Maylene watches rather stoically as Monferno's flame-covered body speeds towards Lucario and calls out to Lucario, "Push Monferno back with Bone Rush!"

Lucario's rigidly strikes its arms forward and pulls its fisted paws apart, generating a laser green bone of energy in its hands. He swings the bone down on Monferno once the Playful Pokemon is in a reachable distance, halting his attempts to execute his Flame Wheel attack. Lucario uses all of its strength to force Monferno back, the force of which breaks apart Monferno's fiery exterior as he's sent flying backwards.

"Monferno, no!"

Monferno's back paw kicks up some dust as he uses it to steady himself on the battlefield, managing to grind his body to a halt and maintain his footing without sustaining too much damage. He growls at his opponent as a look of pure rage and resilience crosses his face, signifying to Casey that he's ready to fight back.

"Now, Lucario!" Maylene shouts, "Use Metal Claw!"

Lucario extends his right paw out to his side. The spikes atop of his paw glow brightly and extend out to form three razor sharp claws. The Aura Pokemon makes a mad dash for Monferno, its claws ready to swing out upon a moments notice. Casey doesn't want to give Lucario the chance to pull of the attack, and as of such she hastily calls out a command to counter the attack, "Counter it with Mach Punch!"

Monferno rushes towards Lucario, meeting the Aura Pokemon in the middle of the battlefield as smashing his glowing fist into its elongated claws. The two attacks collide with intense ferocity, Monferno just about gaining the edge on Lucario due to having the type advantage. Lucario skids backwards from the force of the attack, wincing in pain as it attempts to regain its composure before its trainer.

"All right, Monferno!" Casey praises.

Monferno turns around and flashes a confident grin over at her, calling out triumphantly for his efforts. He directs his attention back towards Lucario just as it stands tall once again. He barks towards Monferno in rage, clearly frustrated that the Playful Pokemon has gained the upper hand.

 _If we can keep this up, this battle should be ours. We just need to stick with it._

"Now, Monferno! Use Dig!"

Dust flies up all over the place as Monferno burrows underground, disappearing from sight for everybody above. Casey knows that Lucario's quick, so she's hoping to catch it by surprise from underneath the battlefield.

"Try and sense Monferno's aura, Lucario!"

 _Uh, oh. That's what I was worried about._

Lucario closes its eyes and directs its paw towards the ground, using its unique power to try and sense the position of Monferno beneath him. Casey's not about to let that happen.

"Alright, Monferno! Heat it up!"

Maylene looks at her with a bemused expression on her face, the Gym Leader clearly caught off guard by her odd request. Nothing happens at first, but the battle soon becomes interesting when a red hue lights up the ground surrounding Lucario. Casey notices it and smirks, knowing fully well whats about to happen; it seems that Maylene realises to, but she ends up realising just too late.

"Lucario, look o-!"

The ground cracks beneath Lucario as molten fire spills out beneath him, encasing the Aura Pokemon in an agonising cage of roaring flames. Lucario roars in pain as the flames consume his body, dealing super effective damage that leaves it gasping for air moments after. Monferno remerges as the flames covering Lucario's body die down, fiery determination in his eyes as he waits for his next command.

Casey expects Lucario to fall down then, the power of Monferno's Flamethrower having been too much for the Aura Pokemon to handle, but it surprises her when it brushes off the pain its sustained, standing proud and tall once again.

"What the?!" Casey exclaims, astonished.

Maylene decides to act on her shock and chooses to launch yet another attack, "Now use Force Palm!"

A wild glare forms in Lucarios eyes as he rushes towards Monferno, its palm outstretched and ready to strike. It thunders forward, and Casey only really gets the chance to react when it draws dangerously close, her confusion from beforehand still prevalent in her mind.

"Quick, use Mach Punch!" She shouts rapidly, not fully thinking about the best way to counter and just going with the first thing that pops into her head. Her thoughts are too frantic for her to think straight right now.

Monferno, as understanding and obedient as ever, responds to her command without so much as a hint of hesitation. His fist shines brightly once again as thunders forward to meet Lucario in the middle of the battlefield. The two fierce fighters find each other and force their powerful attacks upon each other, a blinding light filling the room as the attacks collide. Casey instantly turns away from the light, shielding her eyes to the best of her ability from the light.

She hears an explosion and pained cries from both ends of the field, only adding to her anticipation to the outcome of the bout. She turns back when the flash of light finally dies down, her face contorting into confusion as she observes the battlefield.

Both Pokemon seem to be relatively unscathed from the attacks. Monferno's entire body is heaving as he stares down Lucario, who is just as desperately trying to regain his breath. They're both tired but other than that, they seem fine. For some reason, that doesn't sit well with Casey. She was expecting...more.

"Lucario, use Bone Rush!"

She snaps out of her bewildered stupor when Maylene yells out yet another command for Lucario, who responds after a few seconds of delay. The Aura Pokemon definitely sustained some damage from Monferno's Mach Punch if its having delayed reactions. It's usually razor sharp when it comes to its reaction times. Regardless, Casey knows that she has to react fast, as Lucario's drawing closer by the second with a sturdy laser bow in its hand.

"Dodge it using Dig!"

Monferno moves to burrow himself underground as Lucario draws dangerously close, but he catches everybody by surprise when he falters. The Playful Pokemon's body goes rigid as small bolts of electricity crackle around his body, preventing him from moving as Lucario smashes the laser bone into his abdomen. Casey stands there, her mouth agape, as Monferno's sent flying backwards into one of the wooden beams standing tall just behind her. He slides down the beam and lands in a crumpled position on the floor, his eyes covered in swirls as he slips into unconsciousness.

"Monferno is unable to battle! The win-!"

Casey doesn't hear the rest of Connally's sentence, her attention far too focused on Monferno to give it a second thought. She turns around and rushes towards the fallen Fire-Type, kneeling down beside him just like she did with Shellos before. She winces when she sees a couple of remaining bolts of lightning crackle around his body, small traces of electricity still trapped inside of his body from the paralysis.

She tentatively reaches a hand out to him with a grimace, afraid that she'll hurt him even more, but her grimace soon warps into a smile when he opens his eyes and looks up at her, "Hey, pal. How are you doing?"

"Mon!"

Casey chuckles at his fiery response. Even when he's on the brink of unconscious, Monferno's still got his temper, "Sorry, pal. That was a stupid question, wasn't it?"

He nods weakly, "Mon-ferno."

Casey laughs again at his response, reaches into her pocket and withdrawing his minimised capsule, enlarging it in her hands and holding it out to him, "You were great, pal. You deserve a nice long rest after all your hard work, don't you reckon?"

Monferno nods feebly, reaching his limp arm up to the capsule and tapping the front of it, causing it to snap open. He dematerialises inside of the capsule in the same way that he emerged from it before, leaving Casey kneeling down at the side of the battlefield with just a Pokeball in her hand. She stands up and makes her way back to her battle box, exchanging Monferno's Pokeball for the last one that she has left.

 _The paralysis is what caught Monferno out. At least it won't be able to stop Dratini. That ability of hers sure is going to come in handy here._

She smiles down at the Pokeball in her hands for a brief moment before looking back up at Maylene and Lucario, who are both staring at her with anticipation and determination in their eyes.

"This is it, Casey." Maylene says, "This battle will decide whether or not I give you the Cobble Badge. I hope you're ready for a tough final battle!"

"I sure am, Maylene!" Casey calls back confidently. She launches her third and final Pokeball back out onto the battlefield once again, calling out her final Pokemon's name with pride and valour, "Let's go, Dratini!"

Dratini bursts out of her capsule and lands with a thud on the dusty battlefield, letting out a ferocious battle cry to assert her strength. She seems to be unaffected from the damage that she sustained during her battle with Meditite, which feels Casey with a sense of triumph and confidence. She was worried that this battle might be more one-sided than she had hoped it would be, but it's looking quite even right about now.

"Dratini, use Draco Meteor!"

Fiery meteors rain down on the battlefield shortly after Dratini fires a fiery orb into the air and they begin to crash into the ground, forming small craters in the battlefield as they do so. Lucario easily outmanoeuvres every single one of the meteors upon Maylene's request, and the Aura Pokemon is quick to respond when the Gym Leader in question gives him a quick command.

"Use Aura Sphere!"

"Counter it with Dragon Rage, Dratini!"

Dratini fires off an intense ray of purple energy that swirls around rapidly as it approaches Lucario's Aura Sphere, the two powerful attacks meeting each other in the middle of the battle. They collide and erupt into an explosion of smoke, which dissipates moments later after causing much disruption to the battle.

 _If we can get in close, perhaps Dratini can pull off an attack that Lucario can't dodge._

"Dratini, use Slam!"

She knows that Slam isn't a very effective attack on a Fighting-Type Pokemon like Lucario, but it will at least do some damage and allow the Dragon Pokemon to get in close. Dratini ultimately obeys her command with hesitation, speeding towards Lucario at top speed. She leaps up into the air in preparation to slam her body down on Lucario, but Maylene already has a defence for her attempts.

"Use Force Palm!"

She watches helplessly as Lucario's palm strikes Dratini's abdomen, a bright flash of light consuming the Dragon-Type's body. A small explosion goes off and Dratini goes flying backwards, wailing in agony as she crashes down onto the battlefield.

"Dratini, no!"

Dratini cries out feebly as she attempts to get back up again, clearly having sustained a substantial amount of damage from that last attack. She thankfully isn't being effected by paralysis due to her ability, being Shed Skin, but the physical damage from the attack itself is still as potent as it would be for any other Pokemon. Casey begins to think that this is the end of the battle, that Dratini won't be getting back up because she's that badly injured, but the resilient Dragon Pokemon catches everybody off guard by what she does next.

Dratini lets out one loud cry that sounds like a mixture of anguish and rage as she pushes herself up off the ground, her body becoming engulfed in a bright flash of light mere moments later. Casey knows exactly what's going on as soon as she sees the light.

Dratini's evolving.

She watches as the small Dragon-Type's body grows massively in size and length, all of the parts of her body getting bigger as she morphs into her new shape. It's when she bursts out of the cocoon of light that everybody gets to see her new form for the first time, and Casey can't help but become excited when she sees her Pokemon's new form.

"Dratini evolved into Dragonair!" Brock gasps to the side of the battlefield, subliminally sharing his Pokemon expertise with everybody in the room.

 _Dragonair, huh?_

Casey reaches into her pocket and takes out her Pokedex, not passing up on the chance of scanning the new Pokemon's data into the technological device.

 _"Dragonair, the Dragon Pokémon. Dragonair emits a gentle aura that gives it a mystical appearance. Dragonair hosts a large amount of energy within its body, which it can discharge through the crystal orbs on its neck and tail."_

Casey glances down at the device in her hands and briefly reads over the data on the screen, surprised to see that Dragonair knows a new move. It's not super effective against Lucario or anything, but it might just give them the edge they need in this battle.

She pockets her Pokedex and directs her attention back to Maylene and Lucario, who are both waiting for them to kick the battle off once again. Maylene herself looks rather astonished after witnessing Dratini evolve into Dragonair, and she also looks slightly afraid.

She should be, because this battle is about to take a drastic turn.

"Alright, Dragonair!" Casey calls confidently, "Let's show them what you can do!"

Dragonair roars in agreement, her snake-like body swaying about restlessly on the battlefield. She's clearly just as eager to show everybody just how strong she is.

"Not if we can take you down first!" Maylene counters, acting on Casey's idleness by calling out a hasty command to Lucario, "Quick, Lucario! Use Metal Claw!"

Lucario barks in response, stretching out his right arm once again as the spikes atop of his paw elongate into glowing bladed claws. Casey conceals her smirk, not wanting to appear overly confident, as the Aura Pokemon speeds towards Dragonair with its claws extended out. Casey waits until its mere inches away before retaliating, "Dragonair, jump up and use Aqua Tail!"

"Aqua Tail?!" Maylene gasps, astonished.

Lucario's entire body grinds to a halt as Dragonair shoots up into the air. The Aura Pokemon, along with its trainer, watches the majestic Dragon Pokemon in awe, neither of them being able to fully react to what's going on. Lucario's entire body is practically rigid by the time that a vivid blue aura surrounds Dragonair's tail. She smashes her long, lean tail down upon the Aura Pokemon, water engulfing its entire body in the process.

Lucario roars in pain as a small blast of energy goes off around his body, dissipating the water and sending him flying back towards his trainer. Dragonair lands back upon the ground with ease, the aura around her tail fading as her slender body stands tall before her opponent.

Lucario, on the other hand, finds itself struggling to remain conscious.

The Aura Pokemon's legs buckle beneath it and it crashes down onto its knees. It grits its teeth, pain coursing through its muscles as it attempts to stand back up again. It begins to push itself up, and for a few moments Casey's worried that it might just get back up again, but her worries are diminished when Lucario's face becomes stricken with pain, its eyes going wide and its mouth falling open in a silent cry of anguish. It drops back down to the ground again, its knees unable to support it this time around, and its entire body crashes down onto the battlefield with a resounding thud.

"Lucario is unable to battle! The winner is Dragonair, which means that the victory goes to Casey, the challenger!"

"We did it, Dragonair!" Casey calls out triumphantly, punching her fist into the air victoriously.

Dragonair turns around to face her trainer with a proud cry, catching Casey off guard when she rushes forward and tackles her to the ground. Casey's legs buckle under the weight of the newly evolved Dragon Pokemon. She crashes onto the ground and her back sears in pain upon impact, but she finds herself laughing when Dragonair coos and nuzzles the side of her face affectionally.

Casey laughs at Dragonair's ridiculousness and brushes her off, "I guessing you're happy that we won, right?"

"You both should be." Ash says, approaching the two of them along with Electabuzz, "That battle was awesome!"

"And you evolved." Dawn chimes in, approaching the group with Piplup in her arms and Brock trailing behind her, nodding her head towards Dragonair with a smile, "You were amazing, Dragonair!"

Dragonair responds enthusiastically to the appraisal, clearly proud of her performance in battle and not afraid to receive compliments for it. Casey chuckles at her overly affectionate response before directing her attention towards Electabuzz, who is watching Dragonair with a glint of admiration in his eyes.

"What do you reckon, Electabuzz?" Casey remarks, the Electric Pokemon's eyes snapping towards her when she calls out to him, "Did we do well?"

Electabuzz lets out a small buzz of approval, though it's clear that he's still slightly irked that he didn't get to participate in the battle. Casey's going to advise him that he shouldn't be frustrated, as he'll definitely be participating in her next Gym Battle, but she instead falls silent as Maylene approaches alongside Connally, a badge case being held in the latter's hands.

"You fought brilliantly alongside your Pokemon, Casey." Maylene praises.

Casey stands up from the ground to properly greet Maylene, Dragonair moving to stand formally by her side as she thanks Maylene for her compliments, "Thank you, Maylene. You really gave us a tough battle out there. Thanks for making it a great battle!"

"I think you deserve this." Maylene says, reaching for the badge case and extending it out to Casey, "The Cobble Badge is yours."

Her eyes drift down to the badge, its metal coating gleaming brightly against the dark backdrop of the case it's sitting in. After a brief spell of hesitation she reaches out to the badge and takes it into her hands, holding it up in front of the light to examine it closely.

It gleams victoriously under the light, the blocky orange sections of the badge standing out boldly against the metallic parts of the coveted prize. Casey smiles as she looks at her newly acquired badge, one thought swirling around in the back of her mind as she directs her attention towards her Pokemon, who are both watching her with eager and proud eyes.

 _We did it! Badge number three is ours!_


	22. Battling Nefarious Villains

**Hi, nice to see you all again!**

 **Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Life's been kinda crazy and all over the place, and frustratingly it's going to be for the best half of 2019. I can confidently say that my schedule is jam packed until late July, so updates honestly might be kinda sparse, or they might be quite plentiful. It just depends on how hectic my schedule becomes.**

 **Besides, I hope that you'll all enjoy the chapters as and when they come out. Let me know by leaving a review (they really do brighten up my day)**

 **Anyways, enjoy the chapter. This one relates to an overarching plot line I've had planned for months now, so it's a good one - well, at least I think it is.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _"I think you deserve this." Maylene says, reaching for the badge case and extending it out to Casey, "The Cobble Badge is yours."_

 _Her eyes drift down to the badge, its metal coating gleaming brightly against the dark backdrop of the case it's sitting in. After a brief spell of hesitation she reaches out to the badge and takes it into her hands, holding it up in front of the light to examine it closely._

 _It gleams victoriously under the light, the blocky orange sections of the badge standing out boldly against the metallic parts of the coveted prize. Casey smiles as she looks at her newly acquired badge, one thought swirling around in the back of her mind as she directs her attention towards her Pokemon, who are both watching her with eager and proud eyes._

 _We did it! Badge number three is ours!_

* * *

Casey strolls along the moonlit pavement, her sneakers hitting the tarmac in synchronisation with Dawn, who is walking alongside her with Piplup held firmly in her arms. Reggie's leading the group, the Pokemon Breeder being the only one that actually knows where they're headed. He had told them that he wanted to show them something before they left the city, but he was very particular in not specifying what that 'thing' is, much to Casey's frustration. The Pastoria native likes to know what she's doing as she's doing it, so this is a bit of an anomalous circumstance for her.

"Where are we going exactly, Reggie?" She asks after a moment of deliberation as they approach a tall hill thats been specifically outfitted with a stone staircase for easier traversing.

"Don't you worry. We're almost there. It's just up this hill." Reggie replies, nodding his head towards the hill in question.

He begins to ascend the staircase, taking heavy strides as he climbs the steep stone steps. Casey and the others soon trail after him, the five of them walking in unison up to the top of the hill. They ascend within a matter of moments, their jaws collectively dropping when they see what awaits them at the top.

Standing before them is a luscious green field of grass which is being lit from the same moonlight that was shining down on the pavement. What separates this field from others of its nature is what inhabits it. A plethora of large rocks that look oddly familiar to Casey sit comfortably across the extensive field, a distinctive blue hue illuminating the edges of each and every one of them.

"You like it? Pretty neat, huh?" Reggie says after watching them marvel the field for a few moments, "Since you're all leaving Veilstone City bright and early tomorrow, I wanted you to see our city's landmarks tonight."

"City landmarks, huh? You mean those bunch of rocks?" Ash asks, bemused.

"Those aren't just any old rocks, Ash." Dawn chimes in, turning to look up at Reggie, "Those are meteorites, right, Reggie?"

"Meteorites!" Ash exclaims, shocked.

 _Meteorites? Meteorites...where have I heard about meteorites before?_

"Now I remember!" Casey gasps, her realisation hitting her like a ton of bricks rather suddenly, "My Grandpa told me about all about the Veilstone meteorites when I was little. Aren't these the things that put this city on the map?"

"Right! You see, our city's been called 'The City Hewn from Rock', and these meteorites are part of that." Reggie replies, his interest peaked when Casey shows some recognition of the meteorites.

He leads the group over a decently sized information board. A map of the meteorite field takes up most of the board, which smaller sections scattered around it giving detailed descriptions of the meteorites. It's a useful thing to have access to, especially considering that a lot of people who travel to see the meteorites are from outside of the city.

"Veilstone City was built surrounding these things, wasn't it?" Casey asks as she scans the information board, thinking back to all of the things she used to see and hear about the meteorites when she was younger, "My Grandpa used to show me pictures when I was a little kid."

She can still remember it so well. She'd rush home from a long day at the local Pokemon School to hear all kinds of incredible things from her Grandpa. He'd tell her everything: from the Sinnoh Time-Space Time legend all the way up to Champions and Pokemon Masters from far off regions across the globe. She always took comfort in the fact that her Grandpa would keep her inquisitive nature alive with his fantastical tales. It's incredible that she's getting to see one of those tales up close and for real.

"The truth is, these meteorites have been honoured as guardians since way back in ancient times." Reggie explains as he turns his attention back towards the meteorites. Casey mirrors his actions, smiling when she notices that Piplup and Pikachu have rushed over to one of the many meteorites to get a closer look, "Of course, as the meteorites fame grew, people started travelling from all over to see them, and that's how the shape of Veilstone City gradually began to take shape. Now, the grateful people of our fair city are watched over by all of our guardians."

Casey listens to Reggie's story with innate interest, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia as he talks. This is the kind of thing that her Grandpa would always tell her about; it's refreshing to hear about it all again.

She turns to look out on the field of meteorites, murmuring to herself as she marvels them, "And I thought Pastoria City had a cool origin story...This is something else."

She'll regret her misplaced optimism later on, for something far more sinister is occurring right at this very moment, yet none of them are aware of it just yet. It's not long until they realise what it is, and they'll be sure to regret it when they do.

* * *

"It's so great that you've both got three badges now."

Casey glances up from her Pokedex when Dawn speaks up from across the table. She's been reading through the data that the technological encyclopaedia collected on Dragonair. She hasn't really had the chance to fully examine the data of her newly evolved Pokemon; she wants to be aware of how Dragonair differs from how she was as a Dratini. Understanding your Pokemon is one of the many critical roles that a Pokemon Trainer needs to fulfil. After spending a fair few minutes reading about Dragonair, she likes to think that she has at least a somewhat greater understanding of the newly evolved Dragon-Type.

"Thanks, Dawn. But we're both still gonna need five more to get into the Sinnoh League, so there's no time to get too confident." Ash replies modestly, tucking his newly polished Cobble Badge away into his badge case along with his others as Pikachu observes quietly.

"Hey! No need to worry! Both of you will get those five in no time!" Dawn says supportively, speaking to them with her usual 'no need to worry' kind of attitude.

Listening to Ash's and Dawn's conversation draws Casey's thoughts onto an important matter that they haven't quite discussed yet: where they're headed next. She switches off her Pokedex and places it inside of her pocket before speaking up, "Speaking of, we should probably decide where we're going next."

"Good idea, Casey." Brock says. The former Gym Leader stands up and reaches for a moderately sized television remote, directing its sensor at the large screen on the nearby wall. An extensive map of Sinnoh flashes up on the screen, numerous towns and cities marked upon it with coloured dots.

"Any ideas on where we should head for?"

Casey scans the map for all of the possible locations, smiling when she realises where the closest city with a Gym is. She's surprised that she didn't notice it sooner. You'd think she would after living there for her entire life.

"Hey, guys. Why don't we head for Pastoria City?" She suggests, drawing her attention away from the map and over to her friends, "You guys can meet my Grandpa and all of my other Pokemon whilst we're there! And the Gym Leader, Crasher Wake, he'll be sure to give us both Ash and I excellent Gym Battles that neither of us will forget!"

She knows that Ash is sold on the idea at the mention of an 'excellent Gym Battle', and even Dawn looks to be in agreement with the idea, but Brock, as logical as ever, takes a moment to consider the possible complications with her plan, "It sounds great, Casey, but it's a fair bit away from here."

Casey shrugs, "Oh, that's not a problem. Valor Lakefront is supposed to be a beautiful resort location, and it's on the way to Pastoria City from here. We can stop there for a break if we need it."

"That sounds perfect, Casey!" Dawn gushes, enthusiastic about her idea.

Casey smiles at her bluenette friend before directing her attention towards Brock, waiting for his approval on their plan. They all need to be in agreement about this, after all, "What do you say, Brock-o?"

"Sounds like a plan." Brock replies, switching the television screen off with the remote and returning to his seat.

"What type of Pokemon does Crasher Wake use, Casey?" Ash asks, Casey turning back to her raven-haired friend when he speaks up, "We've got to start coming up with a strategy right away!"

"Pika-pi!"

Casey chuckles at Pikachu's overenthusiastic nature that perfectly mirrors his trainer's and answers their question willingly and with full confidence, "He specialises in Water-Type Pokemon."

"Water-Type Pokemon? Cool!" Ash responds, turning to his ecstatic partner excitedly, "You hear that, buddy?"

"Chaa!"

Ash smiles down at Pikachu before turning towards Dawn, changing the focus of the conversation onto what's next for the young Coordinator, "So, Dawn? What's going on with your next Contest?"

Casey notices it right away - then again, it wouldn't be that hard to miss if you knew what you were looking for. Ash and Brock, as insightful as the latter may be, don't pick up on it, but Casey sees it as clear as day. At the mention of her next Pokemon Contest, a brief flash of terror crosses Dawn's face, though the bluenette corrects herself before it can warp into anything too noticeable.

"Ash, you'll never guess!" Dawn stammers, the Coordinator desperately trying to keep her nervous voice in check, "We're right in the middle of working on a brand new combination!"

Casey knows that Dawn is blatantly lying as she says that, but she chooses to hold her tongue for now. She intends on talking about this with Dawn, but not right at this moment. Not in front of Ash and Brock. That'll only make Dawn feel awfully embarrassed, which is not what she needs right now.

"So, Casey." Brock chimes in, drawing Casey's attention away from Dawn and onto him as he speaks up, "You said that your Grandfather was Pokemon Breeder, right? Back when we first met you in Oreburgh City?"

"That's right." She replies, nodding, "That's why I leave all of my other Pokemon from previous journeys with him when I set off on a new one."

"What kind of Pokemon have you got?" Ash asks, intrigued.

"Pokemon from all over Kanto and Johto. The Pokemon that are with my Grandpa have competed in League Conferences and countless Gym Battles." She explains, "Well, most of them, at least."

Dawn's brows furrow, confusion written across her face, "What do you mean?"

"My Metang doesn't exactly like to listen to me." Casey says with an awkward chuckle, "It has to be one of the most stubborn Pokemon I've ever met, but I understand why it is the way it is. It's also super strong, but you'd never know that because it doesn't like to listen to anybody. My Grandpa's sure got his work cut out for him there."

"Why doesn't Metang listen to you?"

Casey holds her tongue. She doesn't particularly like talking about this subject - it just acts as a reminder that she's failed one of her Pokemon. That she can't get through to one of her Pokemon no matter how hard she tries. She decides that it's best just to divert the topic of conversation for now, and thankfully the opportunity to do just that appears right before her in the form of a certain blue-haired Coordinator.

"Hey, Dawn." She says, catching the girl's attention instantly, "How about we go outside and look at that combination you were telling Ash about? I'd love to see it."

Dawn stumbles as she suggests this, clearly not expecting her to play along with her lie. She awkwardly accepts her offer, the bluenette being smart enough to realise that if she doesn't, Ash and Brock may detect her lies. The two of them stand up and begin to make their way for the front door, but not before Ash questions the situation.

"Hey, I wanna see your combination." He says.

Casey glances over at Dawn, noticing that she looks even more uneasy than before at Ash's eagerness to see her falsified combination.

 _I need to get Dawn out of this...I know!_

"Hey, Ash. Did you know that Crasher Wake battles with a Gyarados?"

Ash's ears perk up when he hears that, both Casey and Dawn long forgotten in favour of planning his battle strategy with Pikachu. The two of them converse excitedly, both just as eager as the other to come up with the perfect strategy. That provides Dawn and Casey with the perfect chance to slip out of the room without being noticed, at least by Ash. Casey knows how understanding Brock is. He won't follow them unless they explicitly ask him to, so there's nothing to worry about there.

The two of them step out into the cool nighttime air, a short chill running up Casey's spine as a gust of cold wind sweeps on by. Piplup's rather more comfortable than Casey and Dawn, the Penguin Pokemon nestling in the arms of the latter, her arms shielding him from the cold air that they're exposed to. They head over to a nearby wooden bench, taking a seat on the worn down wood in a comfortable silence that persists until Casey speaks up.

"Why did you lie to Ash back there, Dawn?" She sighs, "I understand that your confidence isn't quite there just yet, but to lie? That's not like you at all. You and I both know that."

"I'm fine!" Dawn gushes, the same shakiness in her voice from before returning, "No need to wor-."

"Don't say no need to worry, Dawn! The boys may not have fully noticed it yet, but Piplup and I sure have!" Casey interjects. She looks down at the Penguin Pokemon in Dawn's arms, noticing that he's watching her with innate interest, "Isn't that right, Piplup?"

"Pip-lup."

Dawn's face softens when she hears her partner's Pokemon's crestfallen voice; the Water-Type sounds ashamed to be admitting to what he's noticed. It's when she sees this interaction that Casey knows just what to say to Dawn.

"Look, Dawn." She sighs, the bluenette's eyes tearing away from Piplup and back up to her pitifully, "I'm not going to ask you to tell me everything that's going on with you right now, because I know that there are just some things that you keep to yourself. There is one thing that I'd like to ask of you, though."

"What's that?"

"If you can't confide in us, confide in your Pokemon." She smiles, nodding her head towards Piplup, "I'm sure that they'll be glad to listen if needed. Your Pokemon are often the greatest friends that you've got, you know?"

Piplup emphasises Casey's point when he stands up in Dawn's arm, brandishing his flipper proudly in the air as he makes it known that he agrees with what she's saying. Casey laughs and gestures towards Piplup, "See what I mean?"

Piplup's eccentric actions manage to elicit a laugh from Dawn, an uplifting smile crossing her face as she looks down at him. Casey can't help but laugh all the more when Dawn attempts to calm the overdramatic Penguin Pokemon, much to his chagrin.

"Thank you, Casey." Dawn says, lifting her head up to smile at her friend.

"Don't mention it, Dawn." Casey replies earnestly, pulling herself up from the bench with a slight shiver. She turns back to Dawn with a smile, "Should we head back inside before we catch a cold?"

Dawn agrees, the bluenette standing up from the bench with Piplup held firmly in her arms. They both begin to make their way back towards the Pokemon Center rather hastily, both of the eager to escape the cold nighttime air. They both stroll along at her reasonably pace, but Casey finds herself being struck down when an intense jolt of pain surges through her.

She screams, her body suddenly overcome by such an unexpected jolt of pain. It's not absolutely agonising (she feels that its more the shock than the pain that's making her scream), but it's enough for her to stop in her tracks and double over in pain.

Her knees catch her as she falls down to the ground, her hands desperately clutching the side of her head as she attempts to focus her thoughts on something - anything to take her mind off of the surprising pain. Dawn instantly kneels down by her side, her hands hovering awkwardly in the air as she tries to figure out what's going on.

"Casey!" Her voice betrays her as she attempts to keep her cool, instead desperately calling out to her screaming friend, "Casey, what's wrong!?"

"Som-something's wrong!" She gasps out a reply, albeit barely, "I feel...I...agh!"

"Lup! Pip-lup!" Piplup chirps, panicked.

She struggles to put it into words for two reasons: the pain, and the fact that she doesn't have a clue what's going on. Even if she could explain it, she wouldn't know where to start. However, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that something's wrong, which is something that Dawn susses out incredibly quickly.

"Stay here! I'll go and get help!"

She's vaguely aware of Dawn and Piplup rushing off inside, but her head's too fuzzy to fully process what's going on. She feels trapped, like there's an impending danger that's closing its way around her. She closes her eyes in attempt to block it out, but that only seems to amplify it all. She's seeing something just like she did back in Amity Square. It's blurred and unorthodox and doesn't make a lot of sense, but she's seeing it.

 _"Those meteorites and the Spear Key are made of the exact same material."_

 _A snide voice is speaking, though she can't quite see the source of such a spine-tingling voice. The voice has an uneasy tone to it, which is what makes it stand out compared to everything else. It's a masculine voice, though it's not the deepest that she's heard._

 _"Saturn, here." The voice continues, "We've detected the target."_

Her eyes snap open, the throbbing pain coursing through her body now just a distant memory, but her confusion is still at the forefront of her mind. She just experienced yet another one of those unexplainable visions, but at least this time around she has some idea of what's going on. Well, to be more precise, where it's going on.

 _Something's happening with the meteorites!_

Confident knowing that, combined with the fact that all of her logical thinking has gone flying out of the window, she takes off in a run towards the meteorite field, ignoring the bitter chill of the night as she goes. She _has_ to find out what's going on here.

* * *

Casey ascends the stone staircase leading up to the meteorite field breathlessly, immediately taking note of the numerous other people occupying the field. They're all dressed the same - clad in identical grey and white outfits with short teal blue hair. They all seem to be doing the exact same thing as well, the non-differentiating individuals kneeling down beside the numerous meteorites across the field and attaching some kind of tracking device to each and every one of the historic space rocks.

Their actions begin to make some kind of sense when a ginormous metal claw drops down from a hovering aircraft above, latching onto one of the numerous meteorites that have been tagged. The claw ensnares the meteorite in its vice like grip, tearing it right out of the ground and up towards the hold of the aircraft.

Her eyes scan the rest of the field, hoping to find the instigator of such a heinous act. She practically smirks when she sees another man stood by a grounded aircraft, his dark blue hair and piercing blue eyes setting him apart from the other perpetrators. Casey makes the instant assumption that he's the leader, which is exactly what motivates her to go running towards him in an attempt to set things straight.

"Hey!" She barks, angrily. She grinds to a halt in front of the man, catching his attention with her intense glare and loud voice, "What do you think you're doing?! You can't just take those meteorites! They belong to the people of this city, not you!"

A flicker of what Casey misinterprets as intrigue crosses the mans face as he listens to her, but his face quickly warps into anger and frustration at the mere sight of you.

"This is complicated enough with little brats like you interfering!" He scoffs, turning away from her with a roll of his eyes, "Stay out of our way!"

Casey's blood boils at his offhanded response. Her hand slips into her pocket, ready to send out one of her Pokemon and fight back with brute force if needed. However, her hopes are dashed when she feels two pair of hands wrap around her arms, one of which rips her hand right out of her pocket before she can grab ahold of a Pokeball. Two of the individuals pin her arms behind her back and hold them in an almost bruising grip, preventing her from retaliating against their smirking leader.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you."

Casey's eyes narrow into a hateful glare, "What do you even want with these meteorites, huh? Why do you need them so badly?"

He laughs, "I wouldn't expect somebody like you to understand!"

"Understand what?"

"These meteorites must take the necessary forms to build the new world! A new world that is far too intelligent for a mere child to comprehend!" He explains, taking great pride in explaining his plan to her, "We have a greater purpose than you all! We are here to form the new world!"

 _New world? This guy's insane! I've never heard anything so ridiculous!_

"I don't care about your 'new world' plans, okay?!" Casey snaps back, her resolve not letting up for a second, "Return the meteorites that you've stolen right now and get out of here!"

His eyes narrow, angry words sitting on his tongue that are just waiting to be snapped out. It looks as if he's going to do just that, but he stops himself when one of his subordinates rushes towards him, a sleek laptop held firmly in his arms despite all of his jagged movements.

"Sir! We have a problem!"

He snarls, "What is it?!"

"There's an unexplained energy spike thats just popped up in the area." The subordinate explains, extending the laptop screen out in front of his superior, "Look at this."

His eyes scan the screen as he hastily reads what Casey presumes is data, his eyes going wide about halfway through his inquiry. He tears his eyes away from the bright screen and up to her, his wide eyes narrowing and his face contorting into a scowl.

"Continue with the extraction." He orders coldly, his eyes trained on her despite him addressing the subordinate.

"But, sir!" The sniffly voice of the subordinate splutters, "This energy spike is something that can't-!"

"Continue with the extraction!" He snarls, briefly snapping his eyes away from Casey to glare menacingly at the subordinate, "And that's an order!"

The terrified subordinate rushes off without another word, desperately clasping his laptop in his shaking hands as he goes to command the other perpetrators across the field. That's a smart idea - his superior looks like he's about to scream at him. The superior in question turns back to Casey, his face twisting into an even greater expression of rage at the mere sight of her.

"Now, as for you-!"

"What are you doing here?!"

He stops abruptly when yet another subordinate catches his attention. Casey turns her head towards the source of the noise, albeit with a struggle due to her restrained position, and is thoroughly surprised by what she sees. It seems that Team Rocket have somehow managed to get themselves tangled up in this tricky situation, too. Admittedly, Casey's never been so glad to see the nefarious duo in her life.

"Not you losers again." The blue-haired man says, tiredly. It seems that he's had to deal with the pestering actions of Team Rocket before - an annoying struggle that Casey can relate to.

Another struggle that she can relate to is having to listen to Team Rocket's dreadful mottos, a pain that she's about to experience again for the umpteenth time.

"Your stupid team has much more to lose!" Jessie declares extravagantly, extending her hand out towards the sky in an over the top pose.

"Look in the mirror at what hair cut you use!"

Casey groans, "Is that seriously all you guys could come up with?"

"It's not like you could come up with anything better, Twerpette!" Meowth retorts, holding his head high in an act of smugness.

The Scratch Cat Pokemon is quick to do a double take, his mouth falling open along with his cohort's at the sight of her.

"Twerpette?!"

Casey rolls her eyes. Out of anybody that could turn up here, it just _had_ to be Team Rocket. Why couldn't it be somebody helpful like Officer Jenny or her friends? But no, it's just Team Rocket.

"Sludge Bomb, Toxicroak."

Casey's nothing short of shocked when Team Rocket are sent blasting back by a multitude of thick, black sludge balls, landing in a heap a few feet away of where they started. Casey turns back towards the blue-haired man, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the smirk plastered on his face. She may not particularly like Team Rocket, but that wasn't cool of him to do.

She next notices the Pokemon that executed the attack. The mans Toxicroak is standing before him, its lean body hunched over and its snake-slit yellow eyes glaring menacingly over at Team Rocket. Casey's came across a Toxicroak once, when she much younger and decided to go exploring the Great Marsh with some of her friends back at home. She's also aware that Toxicroak is the evolved form of Croagunk, but her knowledge on the Toxic Mouth Pokemon ends about there. Regardless of her lack of knowledge, there is one thing that she knows for sure.

Toxicroak looks absolutely terrifying up close.

"Casey!"

She turns her sights away from Toxicroak and onto her friends, a smile coming onto her face as she sees them running up the staircase and into the field. Maylene and Lucario accompany them, both Gym Leader and Pokemon looking ready to fight back in a moments notice.

 _Lucario must've sensed what was going on. That must be how they found me._

"Where are the meteorites?" Maylene asks, glancing frantically around the field in an attempt to see the missing landmarks.

"These jerks stole them!" Casey replies, the hands on her arms tightening slightly at her use of the word 'jerks'. That doesn't quite sit well with the goons restraining her.

"That's right!" Jessie chimes in, surprising Maylene and the others when she approaches the group, "These fashion freaks stole _our_ meteorites!"

"Fashion? Since when?" Dawn asks, bemused.

Casey has to restrain herself from laughing at Dawn's response. She's not kidding about their fashion - it is rather awful. The blue-haired doesn't seem to appreciate Dawn's comment, choosing to retaliate with brute force, "Toxicroak, use Dark Pulse!"

Toxicroak's long, clawed hands push together in a swift motion and the Toxic Mouth Pokemon forms a small orb of dark energy within its hands. It charges it up, making a low growling noise as it does so, before firing it off towards Ash and the others in the form of dark, swirling circles.

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!"

The Aura Pokemon counters Toxicroak's attack with perfect precision, the two attacks colliding and erupting into a combination of purple and blue light. Lucario's attack, much to everybody's surprise, has little to no effect on Toxicroak, who remains standing tall in front of its conniving trainer.

"It didn't do a thing!" Maylene gasps, astonished.

"We don't care about your landmarks, but these meteorites must take the necessary forms."

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asks, puzzled.

"We're talking about the necessary forms to build the new world!"

Their confusion only seems to grow as he elaborates. Casey doesn't blame her. To her, this man sounds like he's insane. She can't help but wonder who put these delusional thoughts into his head - into his cohorts heads for that matter, as well. None of this seems right.

Luckily, the person that has the power to set it all right makes an appearance right at that moment.

Driving in upon her high-speed motorcycle, Officer Jenny rockets up the staircase leading into the field. She soars high up above them all, the vehicle slamming onto the grass in the space between Casey's friends and the people holding her captive. The mans scowl from before returns as Officer Jenny dismounts her motorcycle, directing her attention towards the crooks holding Casey captive with a stern glare.

"You took the meteorites, right?" She says, demandingly, "All communications are down because of your tricks!"

"Maybe, and maybe not." The man muses, smirking at her frustration.

"I'll bet they're responsible for the Pokemon Center breakdowns." Brock says.

"And not just the Pokemon Center, but every piece of equipment across Veilstone City!" Officer Jenny adds, her intense anger towards the crooks showing in her voice.

 _It's not just the meteorites that these people have impacted, it's all of the tech across the city! This is far bigger than I thought!_

"You think the Sinnoh Special Police aren't aware of all of the behind the scenes activity going on lately?" She asks, the officer pointing an accusing finger towards the man, "Well, you're busted! You're a part of those super secret criminals: Team Galactic!"

"Team Galactic?" Ash murmurs, a puzzled expression crossing his face.

"Tell me _exactly_ what you're planning to do with those meteorites!" Officer Jenny orders, sternly.

"That would be a big waste of time. But I will say it's all part of our plan." The blue haired man replies curtly. He then thrusts his arm out towards them, giving a quick yet confident command to his awaiting Toxicroak, "Toxicroak, Dark Pulse, go."

Toxicroak acts fast, generating yet another source of dark energy and firing it off at his opponents. The Dark-Type attacks surges towards Ash and the others, but luckily they're quick to counter with the help of their trusted Pokemon.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Piplup, Bubble Beam!"

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

The three multi-typed attacks merge into one threatening force of blue and yellow light, which collides directly with Toxicroak's dark purple energy rings. The sheer force of their combined attacks shatters the bonds between the dark rings, resulting in them all going flying off in different directions as the attack dissipates. One of the stray dark energy rings just so happens to be heading directly for Brock; the Pokemon Breeder isn't quite sure how to react, running frantically on the spot and yelling all the more as the ring approaches.

"Brock, watch out!"

The ring races towards Brock like a high-speed projectile. Just as it looks like it's going to smash down upon his head, Croagunk appears out of seemingly nowhere and saves its trainer of the burden. The pre-evolved Toxic Mouth Pokemon smashes the ring away with a decisive Brick Break, sending it flying down into the dirt where it eventually shatters.

"All right, Croagunk!" Ash cheers, "Good job!"

A smile even comes to Casey's face at the sight of the usually reserved Pokemon stepping in to defend its trainer, though her smile quickly fades when she notices what Toxicroak is up to. The far larger Toxic Mouth Pokemon is approaching Croagunk with long strides, its feet making loud booming noises as its heavy body crosses the field. It towers over Croagunk when it reaches it, a fact with Croagunk notices rather quickly. Regardless of the size disadvantage, Croagunk stands it ground against its superior, the two Pokemon squaring each other up in an interaction that intrigues everybody that's watching.

It's this interaction that Casey uses to her advantage.

With the men holding onto her being distracted by the heated interaction between Croagunk and Toxicroak, she chooses to fight back against their hold. She kicks her right leg back first, the back of her foot colliding with the unprotected sin of the man on her right with unexpected force. He releases his grip on her and instantly recoils back, bringing his hands down to his wounded shin as he gasps out in pain. She fights back against her second captor before he can wise up to what she's trying to do, this time opting to aim for his stomach with her elbow. He recoils back just like the man before him did, leaving Casey completely free of the restraints that were placed upon her just moments before.

She makes a mad dash away from the injured men, her hand reaching into her pocket and withdrawing a single Pokeball on instinct. She tosses it out towards the blue-haired commander, yelling out with both rage and satisfaction, "Dragonair, let's go!"

The Dragon Pokemon emerges with a fierce battle cry before the man, who observes her with a look of resentment and frustration. He looks over at his other cohorts, whom have only just rushed over in an attempt to control all of the commotion, "Deal with the rest of them. I'll handle this little brat!"

The subordinates obey his command instantly, turning towards the others and retaliating with their own Pokemon. They each send out an entire fleet of Golbat, the large flock of Bat Pokemon circling the sky above whilst screeching obnoxiously. It's a massive force to be reckoned with, but Casey's certain that her friends are more than capable of handling it.

"Golbat, go."

Casey inwardly groans at the sight of yet another Golbat emerging from the commander's Pokeball, its screeching just as loud and annoying as the rest of theirs. The Bat Pokemon hisses down at Dragonair, who responds with a cry just as ferociously as her opponent.

The commander quicks off the battle without a hint of hesitation, calling out calmly, "Use Air Cutter."

Golbat flaps its broad wings radpily, generating sharp-edged projectiles out of thin air. The newly generated ammunition rushes towards Dragonair, who executes a perfectly timed dodge without even being asked to do so.

"Quick, Dragonair! Use Aqua Tail!"

Dragonair's tail shines a glorious blue colour as she leaps up into the air, slicing it down with perfect precision and sending the unsuspecting Bat Pokemon crashing down towards the ground before its trainer can even think twice.

The man grits his teeth frustratingly as Golbat smashes into the ground with intense force, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt as its body falls defencelessly downwards. Casey smirks, her initial thought being that Dragonair's Aqua Tail was so powerful that it knocked down her opponent in just one hit, but she finds herself to be awfully mistaken when the Bat Pokemon flies up out of the rising cloud of dust, its wings looking slightly maimed but the rest of it looking just fine.

"Now, Golbat. Use Poison Fang."

 _I get it. He's trying to wear Dragonair down with status conditions. Even if we were to allow him to pull off the attack, it's not like the poison would affect Dragonair regardless._

"Counter it head on with Dragon Rage!" She calls.

The fiery inferno of energy collides directly with Golbat's purple glowing fangs, engulfing the Bat Pokemon's entire body in a fiery vortex. The purple colour of its fangs fades as it goes soaring backwards, landing in an unconscious heap before its trainer.

He begrudgingly extends the Pokeball out and silently returns Golbat to its capsule, his piercing glare focused on Casey and her Dragonair the entire time. He pays no attention to the fallen Pokemon, simply shoving its Pokeball roughly inside of his pocket.

"Are you done yet?" Casey asks.

He smirks, "Not quite."

He surprises Casey when he reaches back into his pocket, presumably to bring out a second Pokemon to fight back against the battle that he's already losing.

 _Doesn't this guy understand that his plan's over? What's his deal?!_

"Electabuzz, Thunder! Go!"

Casey's sights are drawn away from the man when she hears a familiar voice call out from behind her. She turns around to investigate, surprised to find that Reggie's turned up along with Paul's Electabuzz. She was so wrapped up in her battle that she didn't even notice that he arrived.

Despite her previous unawareness, she continues to watch with interest and awe as Electabuzz fires off a speedy lightning bolt directly at Pikachu, who is already rushing at top speed as electricity surrounds his body. He's using Volt Tackle, and it doesn't take Casey long to figure out why that is.

Pikachu's electrified body surges towards the cords pulling the meteorites up into the helicopters like a high speed rocket, severing through the metal as if it were merely made of paper. The metorites begin to cascade towards the ground, the claw parts of the machinery still firmly attached to them.

That's where Lucario comes in.

"Lucario, Bone Rush!"

The Aura Pokemon springs into action, smashing the claws off of the falling meteorites with a single laser bone within just a few moments. The now free meteorites continue their descent, prompting Dawn and Piplup to step in to slow them down.

"Piplup, Whirlpool!"

Piplup raises his glowing beak towards the sky and lifts his fins up high, generating an intense swirling cyclone of water within mere moments. The meteorites crash down into the whirlpool, kicking up a fair amount of water as they do so; the cyclone acts as a safety net for the meteorites. They ease down onto the damp grass as Piplup gently lowers the whirpool, returning to their rightful positions across the field with little to no harm done.

Casey smirks, turning back towards the disgruntled man, "It looks like your little plan is done for! Give it up now whilst you still can!"

He scowls, though he holds his tongue when he notices that one of his subordinates is approaching. It's the same goon from before, though this time he lacks a laptop; his expression looks even more concerned than before.

"Commander Saturn."

 _Commander Saturn, huh? So, that's his name._

"I know. There's no choice." He groans, disgruntled. Casey and Dragonair watch as he withdraws yet another Pokeball from his pocket; he aims it at Toxicroak, who is mid-battle with Croagunk, and gruffly returns it to its capsule without any further delay.

"Toxicroak, return."

He shoves the Pokeball back into his pocket forcefully, directing his attention towards the subordinate still stood by his side, "Evacuate immediately."

He turns around and begins to make his way towards a nearby helicopter, prompting Casey to step in, "Hey, Saturn!"

He halts, fooling Casey into thinking that he's going to turn around and confront her again. He doesn't, instead turning one of the many subordinates in the area and giving them one curt nod before walking on.

"Hey, stop!" Casey manages to yell. She takes off in a run towards the fleeing crook. She's not about to let him get away so easily.

She falls short when she feels a sharp shock of pain course through her abdomen, her legs giving out beneath her as she crashes down on the grass. She wheezes heavily, desperately attempting to catch the breath that was physically knocked out of her as soon as the subordinate's fist collided with her stomach. He had punched her before fleeing like a coward along with the rest of the crooks, leaving her gasping desperately on the muddy ground.

Two pairs of hands drag her up by the arms, moving her into a comfortable sitting position as quickly as they can.

"Casey, are you okay?" Dawn asks, her voice laced with concern.

Casey's frantic eyes dart over at the bluenette before shifting around the area, her fragmented thoughts frantically trying to compose themselves. She's still in a state of shock. That punch _hurt_.

She notices that everybody has rushed over to her, all of them looking just as concerned as Dawn. Reggie and Maylene both look beyond enraged, the two of them focused on the helicopters that are disappearing into the distance above them. Brock's rooting through the extensive inventory within his backpack, likely attempting to find some kind of medical solution for the situation. Ash is just staring down at her, Pikachu watching curiously from his shoulder as she attempts to formulate a sentence.

"It looks like they got away." Officer Jenny says, exasperated. She walks over to the group, clearly trying her best to conceal her frustration from them all. Casey doesn't blame her for her frustration. Those crooks deserved to be caught.

"I'm sorry." Casey admits, ashamed, "I let them get away."

"Don't say that, Casey!" Dawn insists.

"Dawn's right, Casey!" Brock adds, "We all tried to stop them. We just weren't fast enough, that's all."

Dragonair purrs comfortingly, bringing a much needed smile to Casey's face when she attempts to nestle her elongated, winged head inside the crook of her arm.

"Okay, Dragonair." Casey chuckles, lightly pushing her away with a smile, "I get what you're trying to say. I'm sorry for being negative for no reason."

"I wouldn't say it's for no reason."

She glances up at Officer Jenny when she speaks up. A frown comes to her face when she notices that she's looking at the sky frustratingly, clearly angry that Team Galactic managed to get away. Casey doesn't blame her: they're all angry about it.

"I'm sure we haven't seen the last of those criminals, no doubt." She murmurs, her eyes remaining fixed on the empty night sky, "If only we knew more about Team Galactic's plans."

Casey sighs, her eyes now fixated on the empty sky with a frown, "Yeah, if only we did."


	23. Aiding Rare Pokemon

_She glances up at Officer Jenny when she speaks up. A frown comes to her face when she notices that she's looking at the sky frustratingly, clearly angry that Team Galactic managed to get away. Casey doesn't blame her: they're all angry about it._

 _"I'm sure we haven't seen the last of those criminals, no doubt." She murmurs, her eyes remaining fixed on the empty night sky, "If only we knew more about Team Galactic's plans."_

 _Casey sighs, her eyes now fixated on the empty sky with a frown, "Yeah, if only we did."_

* * *

Casey and Dawn chuckle lightheartedly as they finish recalling an incident involving Shellos and Piplup earlier in the morning. The two Water-Types had a friendly yet heated competition on who could fire off the strongest Water-Type attack. Shellos won, though Piplup executed his attack far more elegantly than his opponent. Both Casey and Dawn found it amusing to watch, livening them both up for their continued travels alongside Ash and Brock en-route to Pastoria City.

That's precisely where the group is headed right now. They're passing along a peaceful path through a relatively quiet forest, providing them all with a sense of tranquility and comfort. It's nice to have a break after all of the chaos involving Team Galactic back in Veilstone City. However, she's smart enough to realise that there's nothing she can do about it right now.

No, right now she needs to be focusing on her next Gym Battle, which in her eyes is the most important one yet. She's been waiting for as long as she can remember to battle Crasher Wake, and now she's getting to do just that. She knows that she _has_ to be ready for it.

She finds herself stopping abruptly when Ash suddenly freezes in his tracks, his face becoming stricken with shock. Casey looks over at him in concern, "Ash, is something wrong?"

Ash shakes his head, seemingly having snapped himself out of his strange stupor, "Nope."

Casey doesn't believe him in the slightest, but she finds herself unable to question him further when something else catches her eye. A lone Pokemon stumbles out onto the pathway, clutching its arm as it winces in pain. Casey can see its grip tighten when it notices that they're watching it.

"What's that?" Dawn asks, perplexed.

"That's a Riolu." Casey murmurs, looking at the wounded Pokemon in awe, "What's a Riolu doing all the way out here?"

Casey's hand subconsciously goes into her pocket and she pulls out her Pokedex. She aims the encyclopaedia at the rare Pokemon, her eyes shifting down to the screen as it records Riolu's data,

 _"Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. When sad or scared, Riolu's aura becomes stronger as a way of signaling its allies."_

"So...that was it!" Ash gasps, a look of realisation striking his face.

Casey pockets her Pokedex and looks over at her raven-haired friend, furrowing her eyebrows as she looks at him with bewilderment, "Ash, what in the world are you talking about?"

"Look! Riolu's hurt!"

Ash surges forward when Brock calls out, his instincts kicking in and prompting him to help out. He completely disregards her question in favour for helping out Riolu, Pikachu surging after his trainer in order to help out as well. Ash kneels down in front of Riolu, extending a hand out to the damaged Pokemon with a soft smile, "Are you okay?"

Riolu instantly recoils back, barking angrily at the startled trainer.

"I'm tryna help!" Ash protests, hurt and confusion crossing his face as his hands remain awkwardly suspended in midair.

Riolu's having none of his protests. The Emanation Pokemon draws its palm backwards with vigour, surprising everyone when it begins to generate a small orb of light blue energy before them. Nobody has the time to fully react to what's going on before Riolu thrusts its palm forward, sending the sphere of light directly into Ash's chest.

Ash cries out in pain as he goes flying back, landing in a heap just in front of his friends. Pikachu rushes back towards his trainer, looking over at him with great concern.

"Ash!" Dawn calls out, moving to help him up from the ground.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Ash replies, brushing her off as he manages to stand himself up. He looks back over at Riolu in awe, "Whoa! That was some move!"

"That was an Aura Sphere!" Brock gasps, looking at the Riolu with just as much awe as Ash.

Casey finds herself looking at Riolu differently to her friends. She finds herself questioning the Emanation Pokemon. She knows for a fact that Riolu doesn't learn Aura Sphere until it evolves into Lucario, yet this Riolu knows how to use the powerful attack. It doesn't add up.

"But I swear that Riolu only learns how to use Aura Sphere when it evolves into Lucario." Casey murmurs. She briefly turns away from Riolu to look at her friends, "That Riolu's not normal, guys. It shouldn't be able to use Aura Sphere. Something's not right here."

"Normal or not, that Riolu needs help!"

Ash rushes towards Riolu once again, Pikachu following tow, but the two of them stop halfway there when Riolu strikes a defensive position. It barks at them just like it did before, making Ash frown, "C'mon! I'm only trying to help!"

Riolu doesn't listen to a word that Ash is saying and draws its palm back once again; Casey knows exactly what its going to do before it even begins to generate the Aura Sphere.

"Ash! Move!"

He doesn't, and it's not long before Riolu pushes its palm back out and sends the Aura Sphere rushing towards its target. The sphere speeds towards Ash and it looks as if it's going to crash into him like before, but somebody else comes in and stops it before it can happen. An unknown boy, clad in a strange looking green cloak, appears from seemingly out of nowhere and knocks the sphere away with ease, much to the shock of Riolu and everybody else.

"Hey." He smiles, turning around to face them all, "Everybody still in one piece?"

They all murmur out a response, all of them still in shock at what just happened. They only snap out of their stupor when Riolu turns around and rushes off, leaving them all behind.

"Hey! Riolu!" Ash calls, moving to run after the fleeing Emanation Pokemon.

"Don't worry. I'll handle this." The boy says, halting Ash's attempt before rushing after Riolu.

The mysterious boy runs out of sight in pursuit of Riolu, leaving Casey and her friends standing there rather stunned. Casey instantly begins to question who that guy was, murmuring to herself as she looks where he was just stood, "Who was that guy?"

"C'mon, guys!" Ash calls out, springing out of his stupor and into action, "We can't just stand here and do nothing when Riolu needs help!"

He takes off in a run alongside Pikachu, leaving his friends behind feeling rather dazed.

"Ash, wait!" Dawn calls.

Casey sighs, knowing that they're wasting time by just standing around here. Once Ash is set on doing something, there's no way in the world that he's going to back out of it. Their only option is to chase after him. Besides, why shouldn't they help out Riolu?

"Ash is right." She says, turning towards Dawn and Brock, "Let's go after them. Riolu needs our help."

They agree and the three of them begin to run down the path and after Ash. They pass through the forest at top speed, the green trees all blurring into one as they pursue their friend. It's only when Brock strikes his arm out that they all fully come to a stop, the two girls looking over at their tall friend with bemusement.

"Brock, what is it?" Dawn asks, perplexed.

He gestures to a tree slightly further ahead from where they're stood and brings index fingers up to his lips, signalling for the two of them to be quiet. Casey looks up to where he is pointing, understanding immediately when she sees that Riolu is perched wearily up in the tree. Brock leads them into a bush at the side of the pathway, which just so happens to be where Ash is hiding, observing Riolu from afar along with the mysterious boy from before.

"So, is that your Riolu?" Dawn asks.

The boy glances back at her and shakes his head, "No. Not mine."

"So then it's a wild Riolu?" Brock assumes.

"No, not wild." The boy replies, confusing them all even more. He sighs, turning back towards the Riolu and looking at it wistfully, "All this Riolu wants to do right now is get back home."

 _What does he mean 'back home'? What's going on with this Riolu?_

Casey has many valid questions about the situation, but those questions are instantly put on hold when yet another interruption arrives on the scene. She hears them before she actually sees them - six-wheeled transit vehicles arrive in the area, their distinctive dark colour palettes setting them apart. Casey recognises them in a heartbeat, even before anybody steps out of them.

Those vehicles belong to Hunter J.

A squad of stocky men emerge from the vehicles with gruff expressions on their faces, Casey instantly recognising their leader from her previous encounters with him. His dark eyes light up when he spots Riolu perched up in the tree. He reaches into his pocket, tossing a lone Pokeball out in front of him and calling out a command as the device is airborne, "Now, Crobat, Wing Attack! Go!"

Crobat bursts out and materialises from its bright form, speeding towards Riolu at top speed. Its wing shine brightly as it charges up its attack; it smashes the wings into Riolu moments later, sending the Emanation Pokemon cascading towards the ground.

"Riolu!" Casey finds the cry escaping her lips before she even realises it. She takes off in a run, rushing past the dazed goons and directly over to Riolu. She leaps towards the falling Pokemon, sliding underneath it and catching it securely in her arms before it can hit the ground. Her back sears in pain from where she skidded along the ground, but she soon forgets about her pain when she hears Ash call out.

"Okay, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

She sits up, completely forgetting about Riolu as she watches Pikachu fire off a powerful bolt of lightning directly at Crobat. The Bat Pokemon out-manouveres the attack, much to Ash's chagrin and its trainers delight. The goon smirks as Crobat begins to speed towards them, but the Bat Pokemon falls short when Riolu steps in.

The Emanation Pokemon intervenes and fires off an Aura Sphere, the energy sending Crobat flying back into one of the transit vehicles. Riolu ignores her presence and leaps up from where its hiding, firing off an array of Aura Spheres at everybody it can see. Ash and Pikachu rush out of the way before they can be hit, but Hunter J's goons aren't so lucky. The Aura Spheres miss them, but they strike their vehicles and the surrounding area. Riolu lands on the pathway, surprised to find that the goons are relatively unscathed from the attack.

"So that's the famous Aura Sphere. Impressive. Good power." The head goon smirks, turning towards his subordinates and barking out an order, "Riolu's ours. Let's go!"

Three of the goons spring into action and toss out three Pokeballs in front of them. Three Crobat emerge from the open Pokeballs and fly above their trainers, ready to attack when necessary.

Casey grits her teeth angrily, her blood boiling when she sees the smirks on the goons faces. She's not about to stand for this. She jumps up from where she's sat and rushes out onto the pathway, reaching for a Pokeball as she glares angrily at her opponents, "Oh, no you don't!"

"I won't allow it!"

She stops herself when the mysterious boy leaps in front of her, glaring fiercely over at the goons. He reaches for the edge of his cloak and draws it back, revealing a red and white uniform underneath. He withdraws a red wrist device that Casey recognises instantly, only adding to her awe of the boy.

 _That's a Vatonage Styler! No way! He's a Pokemon Ranger!_

The boy aims the Capture Styler directly at a nearby Ariados that's hanging down from a nearby tree. He fires off a small capsule that loops around the Long Leg Pokemon.

"Vatonage!" He calls out, striking out a strong pose with a bright blue spark of energy. The capsule ring closes around the Ariados, surrounding it in a brief spell of light that quickly fades away.

The boy strikes a triumphant pose, "Capture complete!" He smirks, calling out a command to the Pokemon that's now under his control, "Ariados, use String Shot!"

The Ariados fires off a thin shot of white string from its pincers. The string wraps around the flying Crobat, ensuring them in its grip and trapping their wings tightly to their bodies. They drop to the floor, struggling feebly in an attempt to break free. The boy leaps up high above the goons as they stand there stunned, pointing his Capture Styler at a Nincada burrowing in the nearby ground. He fires a capsule at the Nincada and captures it just as he did with the Ariados before.

He lands flawlessly on the ground, smirking as he calls out a command to the Nincada, "Nincada, use Dig!"

The Nincada digs up tons of dirt and mud as it burrows deep underground. The goons stand there wearily, watching the ground with panicked eyes in a futile attempt to spot the Nincada. They fail, and soon go crashing down underneath the ground with a collective scream as it caves out from beneath them.

 _Whoa! That guy's incredible! I've never seen anything like that before!_

Casey stands up, rushing over to where her friends are stood alongside Riolu, looking at the Pokemon Ranger in complete and utter awe.

"That was awesome!" Dawn gasps, "I've never seen a Pokemon Ranger up close and in action like this before! It's so cool!"

"And he's no ordinary Pokemon Ranger either!" Brock remarks, "He's a Top Ranger!"

"A Top Ranger?" Ash asks, befuddled.

"That's a Pokemon Ranger who's skilled enough to use a Vatonage Styler." Brock explains.

The ranger turns around after thanking the Ariados and Nincada for their help. He sets his sights on Riolu, kneeling down in front of the confused Emanation Pokemon with a soft smile. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small pouch and gently taking a small carved doll out of it. Riolu stares at the doll curiously before tentatively reaching out and taking it from the smiling Ranger before its eyes lift back up to the boy's face.

"You see? You can trust me, Riolu." He says, reaching out and taking the Pokemon comfortably in his arms. He turns towards Casey and her friends once he has a secure grip on Riolu, "Come on. Follow me."

He takes off further down the path, everyone else following him after a few brief moments of hesitation. They run after the agile and speedy ranger with as much spped as they possess, Ash wasting no time in asking him questions.

"So you came out here to help out that Riolu, right?" He asks, his breath staggered from all of the running.

"Right." The boy replies, glancing back at them as he continues to run, The name's Kellyn."

"Hi. My name's Ash." Ash replies warmly.

They all follow Ash's lead and introduce themselves before they slip into silence, following the Pokemon Ranger away from the goons and into the unknown.

* * *

"You're gonna be just fine, Riolu." Kellyn says with a warm smile as he finishes giving the hurt Emanation Pokemon some much needed energy for its wounds. Riolu looks taken aback by the Pokemon Ranger's kindness, and it's not long before it withdraws its arm and rushes towards a nearby stream, standing there idly and alone.

They found refuge a fair distance away from J's goons, them all collectively deciding that it would keep Riolu safe for the time being. They still haven't received much of an explanation as to what's going on, but Casey and her friends decided that it could wait when they saw the sight of Riolu's injuries. Riolu was the priority to sort out, not their curiosity.

"It looks like Riolu's suffered through some tough times, and that can make it hard to trust anybody." Kellyn sighs, standing up and putting the medicine back into his pocket.

"That makes sense." Casey muses, "I suppose it must be tough for it to trust humans after what we've subjected it to. Nobody deserves to go through what Riolu's gone through."

Kellyn turns to her and nods, "It's gonna take time before Riolu can trust people again."

Casey sighs and turns to look back at Riolu, noticing that the Emanation Pokemon is looking at a small carved doll fondly. It's the same doll that Kellyn handed it earlier, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it means something to the frightful Pokemon.

"Hey." Dawn says, "Isn't that the doll you gave Riolu before?"

Kellyn nods, "Yeah. It was a gift from the man who raised it."

Casey hears a sharp intake of breath to her right. She turns and finds that Ash is pulling the same expression as he did just before they ran into Riolu, though this one persists for slightly longer than the first. He eventually snaps out of it and walks towards Riolu, standing over it with a smile.

"That's worth more to you than anything, right Riolu?" He says, the Emanation Pokemon glancing back at him confusedly, "You used your aura to tell me that."

Everybody collectively gasps at Ash's statement. Casey instantly thinks back to what she heard about aura during her time in Veilstone City, but that only seems to puzzle her all the more.

"Ash, what do you mean Riolu 'used its aura'?" Dawn asks.

"Riolu used its aura to transmit all of its emotions and memories." Brock explains, "Right, Ash?"

"Yeah." Ash says, turning back towards them.

"Wow, Ash. That's...that's something, all right." Casey says, stumbling over her words as she tries to understand the situation.

"You see, an aura's like a feeling or spirit. All living things have their own unique aura." Kellyn explains, surprising everyone with his extensive knowledge on Aura, "Ash, my friend, it looks like your aura and Riolu's aura are a perfect match."

 _A perfect match, huh? Wow...that's incredible! I wonder whose aura mine matches..._

The repetitive beeping of Kellyn's Capture Styler is what catches everyone's attention next. He looks down at the device and flips up a retractable screen, "Kellyn here."

"Hi. It's Solana." A feminine voice sounds from the other side.

Ash rushes over to Kellyn and looks down at the screen, showing recognition for the voice on the other side. It seems that the other person recognises him just as well, as she is quick to respond warmly to his appearance, "If it isn't Ash and Pikachu! It's been a long time!"

Casey moves to join Ash at the Capture Styler. She looks down at the device, discovering that another Pokemon Ranger is on the other end of the line. She's wearing a red sweatband that ties back her turquoise blue hair along with a similar style outfit to Kellyn.

"Huh!" Dawn gasps, rushing over to the opposite side of Kellyn and looking down at the Capture Styler in awe, "Wow! A girl! And with such awesome clothes! My name's Dawn! Nice to meet you!"

"Hi, I'm Cas...agh!"

Casey's yelps in surprise when she's sent tumbling to the ground by none other than Brock. The Pokemon Breeder doesn't even realise that he's knocked her out of the way. He's too focused on Solana too notice, of course.

"Of course, I sure do hope that you didn't forget little old me, Solana!" He says over enthusiastically, his sense going out of the window as it usually does around girls he's attracted to.

"Of course not, Brock!" Solana replies cordially, "Still working to be a Pokemon Breeder?"

"Of course!" Brock chirps back, "But now I'm working on something else, and that's for you to use your Capture Styler to capture me!"

The infatuated boy continues to stare contently at Solana, only stopping when Croagunk steps in and delivers a decisive Poison Jab. Brock snaps right out of his lovesick trance when he crashes down to the ground, his body twitching as Croagunk pulls him away. Casey chuckles, standing up and looking back at the Capture Styler to properly greet Solana.

"As I was saying. I'm Casey." She says, smiling, "It's nice to meet you, Solana."

"It's nice to meet you too, Casey. Tell me: are you working to compete in the Sinnoh League?"

"Yeah, I am actually." Casey replies, "How'd you know?"

"I figured that's why Ash is in the Sinnoh Region." She explains before directing her attention to Kellyn, "And, Kellyn, with Ash being such an amazing trainer, I'm sure he's gonna be a big help to you. I'm sure everybody will be."

"Sounds good, Solana." Kellyn replies, "So, what's the latest on the search?"

"We've determined the precise location of Pokemon Hunter J's client, and Officer Jenny and I are headed there now."

"Got it." Kellyn says determinedly, briefly glancing over at Riolu before looking back to her, "Riolu's under our protection, and we're headed for the rendezvous coordinates."

"Understood. We'll be in touch."

The video transmission cuts out, casting a silence over the area. Ash breaks the silence when he turns to Kellyn, "So, where are we headed to now, Kellyn?"

A loud rumbling follows soon after Ash's question. Casey turns around, her eyes darting about frantically as she tries to determine where the sound is coming from. It's only when she looks up to the sky that she discovers where it's coming from. One ginormous, grey and black coloured ship is flying up high above, and it doesn't take long for Casey to identify it.

"We're in trouble, guys." She says, her voice frantic, "That's J's ship. We need to get away from here, and fast."

Her friends all share panicked glances, clearly just as worried as she is about their situation. Even Riolu looks over at them from the river, a slight frightful expression plastered upon its face. The only person who truly stays calm is Kellyn, his voice steady as he gives them quick and concise commands.

"Now everybody needs to stay calm and do just as I say, okay?" He says.

"We're with you, Kellyn." Casey says, her sense flooding back to her, "What do you need us to do?"

* * *

The water ripples rapidly as the small wooden boat surges through it. Shellos, Buizel and a Floatzel that Kellyn befriended with his Capture Styler are pulling the boat downstream at a decent speed whilst their trainers and Riolu sit within the boat. Casey's sat right at the front of the boat, her sights set forward and her face steeled. They have to make sure that Riolu is safe from J and her goons. Who knows when they'll show up again?

"Hey! How are you doing, you three?"

The three Water-Type Pokemon respond enthusiastically to her question, though they keep their eyes set ahead of them. They all know just how serious the situation is. She sighs, turning back towards Kellyn as she continues to listen to Riolu's story that he's been explaining so articulately for the last few minutes.

"This Paradise Kingdom is Riolu's home." He explains, "Riolu's official title is: inheritor of the aura. It was carefully raised by its breeder."

"Inheritor of the aura?" Ash asks curiously.

"Each royal generation uses Riolu's aura to protect the kingdom. It's passed on and on, from generation to generation, and Riolu's next in line."

"That's why Riolu can use Aura Sphere!"

Kellyn nods, "Riolu was kidnapped and locked up by people who plan to use its power for evil purposes. But a different group of people orchestrated Riolu's breakout for their evil purposes. Although it's obvious that Riolu somehow managed to escape from them, too."

"That's awful." Casey says with a sigh. She looks towards Riolu, watching the poor Pokemon that has suffered so greatly with sympathetic eyes.

 _It's not fair just how much that Pokemon's been through. We have to make sure that Riolu returns safely to its kingdom! We just have to!_

"To transport Riolu safely back home is my mission." Kellyn says, "A recovery team from headquarters is just up ahead."

Casey nods, directing her attention back towards the area further downstream. She's relieved that Kellyn has a plan in place to deal with all of this. Riolu deserves to go back home, so it's comforting to know that there's a plan in place to make that happen. Everything seems to be falling into place.

That is until everything begins to spiral into chaos.

A scream rips itself out of Casey's throat when she feels the wooden planks of the boat break from beneath her. She briefly hears the others scream in panic before she plunges deep under the surface, water clouding her already befuddled senses. She pushes herself back up onto the surface, gasping for air as she looks around frantically in an attempt to figure out what's going on.

"Shell!" Shellos cries, concerned. The Sea Slug Pokemon swims towards her, acting a a buoy to help her trainer stay afloat.

"Thank you, Shellos." Casey manages to gasp out, still looking around with panicked eyes.

"Those Sharpedo belong to Hunter J! They found us!"

She looks towards the shores of the river when Brock yells out, her heart thumping rapidly at the sight of J's goons getting out of their dark transit vehicles. She looks back to her friends, relieved to see that they're all unharmed albeit a little shocked. She looks to Kellyn, the only one of them all who managed to stay upon the wrecked boat along with Riolu, and finds him finishing up using his Capture Styler on the Floatzel that helped them across the river in the first place.

"Kellyn!" She calls, "What do we do?"

"Get to the other side!" Kellyn yells back before diving into the water himself, making a beeline for the other side of the river with the help of Floatzel.

Casey's expression steels and she sets her sights on the direction that Kellyn's heading in, "Let's go, Shellos! Follow Kellyn and Floatzel!"

"Shell!" The slug chirps in response. She surges through the water with remarkable speed, cleverly outmanoeuvring any of the debris in her path to follow after Kellyn and Floatzel.

It's only when J swoops down on them, her presence casting a dark shadow on them - both literally and figuratively due to the almighty size of her Salamence - that they are forced to come to stop, the entire group pausing abruptly when she has Salamence fire off a Hyper Beam into the water in order to block their path.

"I'm taking Riolu!" She demands as the smoke clears, Casey's blood boiling at the mere sight of her.

She has no right to come here and demand such a thing. She doesn't care about Riolu, she only cares about the money that she'll get for selling it off to some anonymous buyer who will likely keep Riolu in their disgusting excuse for a collection. It's horrifying to think about, and for that very reason there's no way in the world that Casey's letting her get away with this.

"No you're not!" She shouts, determinedly, "Shellos, use Water Pulse!"

Ash catches her drift and joins in on her attack, ordering Pikachu to use Thunderbolt as Shellos prepares to fire off a series of Water Pulses at J. Water merges with electricity as their attacks combine, a powerful beam of energy surging towards J and her Salamence at top speed.

"Salamence, use Hyper Beam!" J counters nonchalantly.

Casey groans as the Dragon Pokemon effortlessly counters with a powerful Hyper Beam, the collision of their attacks resulting in an explosion that cloaks the sky above them in a thick cloud of black smoke.

"Quick, Floatzel! Use Water Gun!" Kellyn yells abruptly as the smoke clears and J comes back into sight, his sudden command catching the cocky Pokemon Hunter off guard. Floatzel's perfectly executed Water Gun strikes Salamence's right wing with vigour, temporarily knocking J off balance as the colossal Pokemon sways upon impact.

J doesn't waste any of her time by firing a capture beam directly in Riolu and Kellyn's direction, Casey's heart gripping in fear at the sight of the beam rushing towards them.

"Quick, dodge it!" Kellyn yells, roughly pushing Riolu to the side before the beam can make contact, the small doll concealed in the pouch around its neck tumbling into the stream from the sudden force.

Riolu's eyes go wide with panic as the doll begins to head downstream, prompting it to go rushing after it without a second thought, the Emanation Pokemon swimming away from all of them in aid of catching up to its prized possession. J hastily yells at her men to chase after it before rushing after Riolu itself, prompting Casey and the others to take action as well.

"Shellos, come on! Let's go after Riolu!" Casey shouts, the Sea Slug Pokemon chirping out a quick response before setting off down the river at top speed, pulling her trainer along with her with ease.

The others follow suit, and for a few brief moments it seems like they're going to catch up with Riolu before J does, but that temporary bliss is soon interrupted by J's meddling. Rocks cascade down from the cliffside and towards the water after Salamence directs a calculated Hyper Beam at the rock face per its trainers request, halting their efforts in catching up to Riolu as they all desperately attempt to dodge the falling debris.

She hears her friends screams behind her mixed in with rushed commands from Kellyn, but she's forced to ignore all of that as she desperately tries to come up with a way to get herself out of this mess. Thankfully, it doesn't take her long to come up with something.

"Shellos, dive under!" She orders.

"Shell!" She shouts back, diving deep underneath the murky water effortlessly.

Casey's visions blurred and everything sounds muffled as she surges through the water, but by the time that she resurfaces, breathless, she's far out of the way of the falling rocks and Hunter J - and she's not the only one.

Ash emerges from the stream right beside her with a gasp, Pikachu still perched upon his soaking wet shoulder and Buizel still pulling the both of them along. The two of them briefly glance over at each other; they make a silent agreement to focus on Riolu first. They can talk later.

They rush downstream after Riolu with reckless abandon, not even stopping as they come across a few small bumps in the river, simply soaring high above the bumps before crashing back down into the stream. They seem to be gaining on Riolu just fine, but the panic settles back in when she notices that Riolu's getting tired and is beginning to fumble around in the water.

"Ash! Riolu's in trouble!" She calls out, panicked, as Riolu drops underneath the waters surface.

"I've got it!" He shouts back, ordering Buizel to dive under the water after Riolu.

Casey watches with bated breath as Ash remains underwater, sighing in relief when he emerges with Riolu and its small, prized doll in his arms. Casey rushes over to the shore and stumbles out onto the grass with a splutter alongside Shellos - who she quickly reassures that she's fine when she looks at her with concern - and instantly moves to aid Ash despite her fatigued state. She takes the unconscious Emanation Pokemon from Ash's arms, easing it onto the grass as Ash and his Pokemon jump up out of the stream.

"Riley." Ash gasps out, his eyes darting between her and Riolu frantically, "Riley, is Riolu-?"

She catches onto what Ash is trying to ask and quickly examines Riolu herself, sighing in relief when she sees the slight rise and fall of its chest. She looks back to Ash with a smile, "Riolu's gonna be fine, Ash."

He nods, looking over at Buizel with a smile, "Thank you, Buizel. You were amazing."

"So were you, Shellos." Casey adds, looking back at Shellos with just as much gratitude, "You really saved me back there."

"Shellos! Shell!" Shellos cries cheerily, jumping up and landing perfectly on Casey's soaked hair. Casey chuckles, reaching up to pat Shellos' back with a smile, "You love doing that, don't you?"

"Shell!"

Casey goes to respond to her Pokemon's enthusiastic cry when Riolu groans beneath her. Both her and Ash burst into smiles as the Emanation Pokemon's eyes begin to flutter open, confusion settling in on its face as it sees the two of them grinning down at it. Riolu jolts up, prompting Ash and Casey to move back in order to give the bewildered Pokemon some space.

"We're glad you're awake, Riolu! We were getting worried." Ash smiles.

Despite Ash's attempts at being comforting, Casey can still see the panic on the Emanation Pokemon's face as its eyes dart about frantically. She figures out what it's looking for immediately and hastily looks over at Ash, "Ash, you've got the doll, right?"

"Oh, yeah." He murmurs, taking the doll in his right hand and gently pressing it into Riolu's palm, the tension and panic diffusing out of the worried Pokemon at the sight of its prized possession, "This belongs to you. Now, take good care of it."

Riolu looks back at Ash tentatively, clearly still not fully trusted the raven-haired boy despite his kindness. She understands why it doesn't trust him - why it doesn't trust any of them, for that matter - but at the same time Ash does seem to have some kind of aura connection to Riolu. You'd think that Riolu would at least trust him somewhat for that reason alone.

Regardless, Casey knows exactly what they have to do next,

"We should keep moving. J's gonna be after us for sure." She sighs with a glance back in the way that they came, frowning. J's not gonna stop until she catches Riolu. The least they can do is get a good head start on her.

"You're right, Casey." Ash chimes in, standing up and looking to Riolu with a smile, "You ready to get out of here, Riolu?"

Riolu gruffly responds and stands up itself, still keeping the doll firmly in its grip. Casey stands up herself, chuckling slightly when she hears Shellos whine in protest, "It's okay, Shellos. You can stay up there if you want."

"Shell!"

Ash chuckles, "Shellos sure does like sitting on your head like that, huh?"

"She sure does. I think it's kinda just become a habit by now." Casey replies with a glance up at Shellos, who nods her head back with an enthusiastic cry. Casey smiles before setting her sights on the forest ahead, "Let's get going."

They begin to make their way through the dense forest, Casey leading the charge as they rush down the dirt path and carefully outmanoeuvre the numerous trees in their path. She's certain that if they can make it to the rendezvous point, or at least put a reasonable amount of distance between themselves and J, then they should be able to get Riolu back where it belongs with relative ease. The challenge is simply getting to that point.

Her heart pounds and her breaths come out laboured as they continue to rush through the forest, none of them stopping for even a second out of sheer terror of whose after them. However, Casey's forced to stop when she begins to notice bright flashes of red in her peripheral vision, her eyes going wide when she discovers the source of such a bright red coloring.

The entire forest has gone up in flames!

"Ash, we've got a problem!" She shouts as she scans the area around her, desperately trying to find a clearing that they can escape through. She's aware of Shellos shaking out of fear atop her head, but she's too panicked herself to reassure her.

It doesn't help that J decides to appear at that precise moment, swooping down on them from above atop her Salamence, a smirk on her face as the roaring flames reflect in her shaded visor.

"I warned you to stay out of my way!" She shouts, both rage and satisfaction laced in her voice.

"Stop this, J! This is wrong and you know it!" Casey yells angrily, staring up at the cruel Pokemon Hunter with fire in her eyes, "We're taking care of Riolu, so back off!"

She knows that she's crazy. She's literally trying to appeal to the senses of a maniac, but she's not sure what else she can do. She's too worried about the approaching flames to come up with a better plan.

Which is precisely why her heart drops when J simply smirks, clearly not buying in to what she's saying for even a second.

"Salamence, use Flamethrower now."

Casey finds herself frozen in her place as Salamence lunges its head back. Time seems to stand still as a radiating beam of fire rushes towards her...

"Watch out!"


	24. Saving Rare Pokemon

**Hey, everybody! Sorry I haven't updated in a while...to be honest, I likely won't be updating again until the summer. I've got school and work and it's all a bit much right now, but I should have plenty of free time on my hands by the middle of July. Sorry for going on such a long hiatus, but hopefully when I come back I'll have chapters coming out relatively regularly. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

 _She knows that she's crazy. She's literally trying to appeal to the senses of a maniac, but she's not sure what else she can do. She's too worried about the approaching flames to come up with a better plan._

 _Which is precisely why her heart drops when J simply smirks, clearly not buying in to what she's saying for even a second._

 _"Salamence, use Flamethrower now."_

 _Casey finds herself frozen in her place as Salamence lunges its head back. Time seems to stand still as a radiating beam of fire rushes towards her..._

 _"Watch out!"_

* * *

"Watch out!"

Casey winces as Ash roughly tackles her down to the ground in an effort to save her from the approaching blaze. They both barely manage to avoid it, their Pokemon and Riolu luckily dodging the attack with them. She tries to gasp out a thank you to Ash, but he's already on his feet before she gets the chance.

"Buizel! Water Gun!" He orders, pointing to a specific point of the fiery barrier that's encasing them.

Casey glances over at Shellos, panic settling back in when she sees the dazed state of the Sea Slug Pokemon. She must've fell off of her head when Ash tackled her down.

"Alright, Shellos. Return." She says after withdrawing Shellos' Pokeball, the fatigued Pokemon returning to her capsule with little to no protest.

"Casey, come on!"

She jumps to her feet when Ash calls out to her and follows him, his Pokemon and Riolu through the small gap that they've created in the fiery ring. They make a mad dash to get away from J and the impending flames, Riolu leading the charge as its nimble body surges past both Ash and Casey effortlessly.

Unfortunately, that leaves it as an open target for J, who fires off a capture ray just as she did back at the river. This time around the ray successfully makes contact with Riolu, freezing the Emanation Pokemon on impact and causing its stony body to crash down onto the path, its prized doll cascading out of its hands as it falls.

"Riolu!"

Ash and Casey both make a rush for their fallen friend, but they're forced to stop when J swoops down from above, cutting them off with a great gust of wind caused by the swinging of Salamence's tail.

"I spared Riolu the pain and suffering from the flames! You should be grateful!" She shouts proudly, smirking as they stare up at her angrily.

"Who do you think you are? You're not getting away with this!" Ash cries.

"Salamence, Hyper Beam." J orders calmly.

Casey's ready to act this time around, perfectly diving into a nearby bush along with Ash and his Pokemon before the Hyper Beam can make any form of contact. She looks around, dazed, as she quickly comes up with an escape plan. She reaches for Monferno's Pokeball, the Playful Pokemon materialising from a bright form of light with panicked eyes as he takes in their surroundings.

"I know, pal, but right now we really need your help." She sighs, trying her best to be reassuring and calm despite the fact that she's far from it, "Do you reckon you can dig us a way out of here?"

Monferno nods and obeys his trainer's command, tearing a hole in the earth with his palms within a matter of seconds. Casey moves to follow Monferno, stopping to look back at Ash when he shows no sign of doing the same.

"Ash! We've got to move, now!" She orders, the panic in her voice abundantly clear despite herself. She knows that he's conflicted right now, the righteous part of him wanting to go running right back into those flames in aid of saving Riolu, but that's the last thing that either of them need to be doing right now, "Ash! Come on!"

"But, Riolu-!" He stammers, watching in horror as J takes off into the sky with Riolu in her clutches.

"I want to help Riolu as much as you do, but we can't if we've been barbecued!" She sighs, trying to appeal to reason, "We need to get out of here right now!"

Ash still looks reluctant, his eyes darting frantically between her and J flying off into the distance. She knows that he's torn right now, but what's the point in putting his life on the line when the chance of him catching up to J now is slim to none? They need to get out of here with their lives before they can come up with a backup plan.

"Pika-pi!"

"Bui! Bui!"

The sounds of his Pokemon's desperate cries is what prompts Ash into action. He glances away from the sky and over to Pikachu and Buizel, nodding in confirmation before looking to Casey again.

"Okay, lets get out of here!"

* * *

Surprisingly enough, it's raining when they finally resurface from the dark depths of the underground. Monferno leaps out first, followed shortly by Ash and Pikachu, the latter having returned Buizel to its Pokeball before making his escape. They come out onto the hill that Monferno's led them onto, Casey practically breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of the rain dousing the seared forest. She leans against a nearby tree on the hill tiredly, looking at Monferno with a grateful smile.

"Thanks, pal." She says, reaching for his Pokeball and aiming the capsule at him with an exhausted smile, "Now take a nice, long rest."

"That was quick thinking, Casey." Ash says as she returns Monferno's Pokeball to her pocket, looking at her sheepishly, "Thanks a lot."

She knows that he feels guilty for almost putting her life at risk by not listening to her right away, but part of her had expected him to respond in the way that he did. That's the thing about Ash: his compassion for Pokemon shows no bounds. It's inspiring, well, at least when it's not putting your life at risk.

"Don't mention it." She replies, looking up to the overcast sky, "Looks like the rain's doing a good job at putting out the fire."

"Yeah." She hears Ash murmur back in response before his voice perks up, "Hey! What's that?"

"What's what?" She asks, looking down from the sky to him confusedly before she realises what he's looking at, "Is that...J's ship?"

He doesn't even give her an answer, instead taking off in a run down the hillside in aid of getting a closer look at the landing ship, Pikachu yelping in surprise as he takes off.

"Ash! Wait up!" Casey shouts as she runs after him, sliding down the hillside and quickly ducking behind the large rock that he's taken to hiding behind.

They watch as numerous transit vehicles drive up a steeled ramp leading into the cargo hold of the large ship, the vehicles presumably being driven by the goons that attempted to apprehend them back at the river. Casey watches with bated breath, the thoughts in her head scrambled as she tries to piece together a plan of action.

"Okay, so I'm thinking that we-." She starts, her voice falling flat when Ash abruptly takes off in a run towards the closing ramp of the cargo hatch, bringing Pikachu along with him without warning, "Ash, wait!"

She considers chasing after him, providing some source of backup against the hell storm that is J that awaits him inside of that menacing ship, but he's already at the ramp by the time she comes to that conclusion. He barely manages to leap inside as it closes, the ramp sealing him inside with a resounding thud that echoes through the clearing.

She watches, heart pounding and thoughts scrambled, as J's ship takes off high into the sky with Ash inside of it, leaving her alone and stranded in the middle of a singed forest.

"This isn't good." She murmurs, getting up from her hiding place and beginning to frantically pace back and forth, "This isn't good. This really isn't good!"

She finds herself back and forth for a solid ten minutes, clueless as to what else to do in her frenzied state of panic. Usually she can compose herself in panicked situations such as the current one that she's caught up in, but she honestly doesn't have a clue on how she's supposed to act next. Ash is gone, she's got no way to contact the others...

 _Oh no, the others! They're probably worried sick!_

She hadn't even considered how Brock, Dawn and Kellyn must be feeling. Surely they would've seen the forest go up in flames, but there's no way they could've known where her and Ash had ended up.

 _They probably think that we went up in flames...no! Don't think like that!_

She stops pacing, looking up to the sky as a groan of frustration escapes her. She knows that she has to try and find the others, but doing that from the ground is going to be next to impossible to achieve. She could have Monferno dig more underground tunnels to allow for faster travel, but by doing that she'll have no idea where she's heading. She could very well pass right underneath them without even realising it.

 _If only Xatu were here. Searching from the skies on Xatu's back would really speed this whole process up._

Back during her travels through Johto, she'd often travel atop Xatu's - one of the numerous Pokemon she had befriended during her travels there - back, particularly when passing back through areas that she had already traversed prior. It allowed for more versatility when it came to travelling around Johto - not to mention that it made the process much faster and more efficient.

But, of course, Xatu isn't with her right now. No, Xatu's over in Pastoria City on her Grandfather's ranch. Then again, maybe she doesn't need Xatu...

Realisation hits her like a ton of bricks. It's so blatantly obvious that she has to stop herself from chiding herself for her idiocy. It's a shame that she didn't figure it out earlier. Perhaps if she had then things would've turned out differently.

Regardless of her regret, she still follows through with her idea and withdraws a single Pokeball from her pocket, enlarging it with a single click before throwing it high up into the sky determinedly, "Dragonair, I choose you!"

* * *

Despite the circumstances behind it, Casey has to admit that it's exhilarating to be flying atop one of her Pokemon again. It's different to when she used to fly with Xatu. It's harder to grip onto Dragonair due to her slender body, and Dragonair is also far faster than Xatu ever was, but it's also very similar in many ways.

She trusts Dragonair just as much as she trusted - how much she _still_ trusts - Xatu, and even though she has an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach of falling from such a great height, she's certain that if that does happen Dragonair will be there to catch her. Her bond with Dragonair is strong enough that it's simply second nature to have trust in such things.

"How are you feeling, Dragonair?" She calls above the wind, glancing away from the ground beneath her briefly to smile at the Dragon Pokemon fondly.

Dragonair responds with an enthusiastic and gleeful cry, clearly enjoying the new experience of flight. It surprises Casey that Dragonair hasn't flown before. There's been plenty of instances were the Dragon Pokemon could've done just that - then again, she only recently evolved. Perhaps she didn't even know she was capable of flight. Casey only figured it out a few minutes okay and she's the trainer! She's supposed to be aware of these kinds of things.

"It's fun, isn't it? Flying aro-!" Her remark is cut off when Dragonair suddenly dips her head down, her entire body following as she begins to plummet down towards the ground without warning.

"Dragonair! Dragonair, stop!"

Casey continues to scream as they race towards the ground; it's a miracle that she doesn't fall off of Dragonair given how fast she's going. She audibly sighs in relief when Dragonair slows their descent as they get closer to the ground, and it's here when Casey finally realises why Dragonair shot down here in the first place.

 _It's the others!_

Even Ash is there, though he's not looking at her like the others are. He's instead kneeling down on the grass, his eyes fixed on the numerous blades of green around him instead of at the sky or the others.

"Casey!" Dawn calls out to her as she approaches.

Casey jumps down from atop of Dragonair when she's a safe distance from the ground, turning to her friends with a smile as they approach, "Hey, you guys! Am I glad to see you!"

"We're glad to see you too, Casey." Kellyn smiles, "We were getting worried about where you were."

"I was worried about not finding you guys fast enough. This forest is huge." Casey admits.

"Wow, Casey! I didn't know that Dragonair could fly!" Dawn gasps as she looks to the Dragon Pokemon in awe, Casey almost smirking at the sight of Dragonair holding her head high in pride.

"Neither did I." She chuckles honestly, turning to Dragonair with a smile as she pats her head affectionally, "You're full of surprises aren't you, Dragonair?"

Dragonair nuzzles her head in Casey's hand and purrs affectionately, clearly excited to be receiving such a fuss. She deserves all of the fuss after how helpful she's been.

Casey reaches into her pocket and withdraws Dragonair's Pokeball, "Thanks a bunch, Dragonair. You deserve a nice, long rest."

Dragonair dematerialises inside of the capsule with a gleeful cry. Casey pockets the Pokeball before setting her sights on Ash, looking at the raven-haired boy with a perplexed expression on her face. She approaches him hesitantly, cracking a slight joke in the hopes that it'll catch his attention that otherwise seems focused on the ground beneath him, "Ash, the next time you're gonna rush into an aircraft, give me an advanced warning, okay?"

Nothing.

She's met with nothing but silence. She hadn't expected much - perhaps a light chuckle at the most - but silence? This doesn't make any sense. Not for Ash.

"Ash?" She frowns, looking to Brock and Dawn in the hope that they'll clarify what's going on. Dawn simply looks back at her with a distraught expression on her face whilst Brock simply shakes his head, which is enough for Casey to figure out precisely what's going on.

She sighs, kneeling down beside Ash and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "We're gonna find Riolu, okay?"

Ash doesn't react to her presence initially, instead closing his eyes with an almost pained expression on his face that sends Casey into a frenzy.

"Ash? Ash, what's wrong?" She asks, concerned.

His eyes snap open as he gasps suddenly, the pained expression on his face changing to an expression of realisation. He suddenly stands up and looks up to the sky thoughtfully; Casey glances back at the others, who look just as puzzled about the situation as her.

"Riolu! That's where you are!" Ash gasps, a smile of relief lighting up his face.

"You sense its aura, don't you?" Kellyn asks as Casey stands up, looking between him and Ash curiously as their conversation unfolds.

"That's right!" Ash answers, pointing ahead, "This way! Riolu's this way!"

Kellyn nods, turning back to the device on his wrist determinedly, where he has a video call open with Solana on the other side, something he must've done whilst Casey had approached Ash, "We're on our way to free Riolu right now. Please inform headquarters for me."

"Understood." Solana responds curtly, "Good luck, Kellyn."

"How exactly are we getting to Riolu?" Dawn asks, looking to Kellyn as he closes the communication device on his wrist, "Who knows how long it'll take us if we go on foot?"

Casey understands where Dawn is coming from. Searching the forest by the air took a good ten minutes and that was at flying at top speed. Sure, they know the general direction that they need to be heading in to get to Riolu, but it's still gonna take them a heck of a lot of time regardless.

She knows that she could suggest that they fly on Dragonair's back, but there's no way that they'll all fit. Perhaps there's another Pokemon that they could enlist the help of in order to speed up the process...

She quickly scans the nearby area, hoping to spot at least one Pokemon that they can call on for help. Luckily enough for her, she just so happens to spot the perfect group of Pokemon in an instant.

"Hey, you guys." She murmurs with a smirk, "I think I've got an idea."

* * *

"We found ya, J!"

They reach J's location just in time atop the flock of Dodrio's backs, all of them glaring daggers at the conniving Pokemon Hunter and the man that she's handing Riolu's capsule off to. Both parties are frozen, staring up at them angrily for interrupting their transaction.

 _It's a good thing that we found those Dodrio. They would've gotten away if we hadn't._

"Your time's up, J!" Ash yells determinedly, "Hand Riolu over right now!"

Casey expects J to retort, but it turns out to be the man that she's dealing with that yells back. He clutches Riolu's capsule to himself desperately, glaring up at them with fire in his eyes, "No! I'll give you nothing!"

Casey instinctively reaches into her pocket, ready to send out one of her Pokemon in order to fight back against the entitled fool that's trying to get away with such a crime, but she's surprised when Ash beats her to it, sending out Staravia in order to fight back.

"Staravia! Quick Attack, go!"

Staravia becomes a bright blur as it surges towards the man at top speed, knocking Riolu's capsule clean out of his hand before he can so much react to what's going on. They take this opportunity and rush down into the rocky creek, Ash leading the pack from the front as they quickly approach the fiends trying to rush away with Riolu.

"Golem! Use Hyper Beam!"

One of the mysterious man's goons sends out his Golem, the Rock-Type firing off a powerful Hyper Beam directly at Ash the moment it bursts out of its capsule. The attack hits Ash's Dodrio head on, causing the Triple Bird Pokemon to go tumbling to the rough and rocky ground and bring Ash down with it, both him and Pikachu landing on the ground with a resounding thud and cries of pain.

"Ash!" Dawn gasps, her and the others leaping down from the backs of their Dodrio and rushing over to Ash in concern, "Are you alright?!"

Ash grunts back in response, prompting Casey and Brock to reach down and help him and Pikachu back onto their feet.

"I've got Riolu! Let's go!"

Ash snaps back into action at the sound of Riolu's captor scrambling to his feet with Riolu's capsule firmly in his hands, watching in horror as he rushes towards a nearby truck along with his goons.

 _They're gonna get away! They're gonna get away with Riolu!_

"You're not going anywhere! Staravia, slash their tyres using Quick Attack!" Ash orders.

Staravia rushes towards the truck and slashes the tyres in one fell swoop, the deflated rubber crumpling and causing the broken truck to fall awkwardly on its side. The escaping fiends stop abruptly at the side, panic settling in across their faces as they turn back to Casey and the others.

"Give Riolu back!" Casey shouts, angry.

"Forget about it!" The captor cackles, looking to his men with a smirk, "Get them!"

Things spiral down into chaos within the next few moments. The men act fast, each of them sending out a fierce and formidable Pokemon out to fight back. A Graveler, Tyranitar, Rhyhorn and Nidoking come out to join the Golem that one of the men sent out earlier, and Casey has to resist the urge to scan the data of the Pokemon into her Pokedex.

 _Don't be ridiculous! Riolu is the priority right now! Forget about your Pokedex!_

Speaking of the Emanation Pokemon, Casey's frustrated to find that the man holding it captive still has managed to make a fairly successful escape whilst she and the others have been distracted. He begins to fly away atop of a Fearow, cackling as he clutches onto Riolu's capsule and flies off into the distance.

That's not the only problem they run into. Amidst all the confusion and panic J must've gotten back into her aircraft without them realising, as fierce winds blow through the creek as the aircraft slowly begins to rise up into the air. The aircraft disappears from view within moments as does the mysterious buyer, Casey's heart sinking at the sight, but some form of hope does arrive when she hears Kellyn suddenly shout out in relief from behind her.

"It's Solana!"

Solana leaps out of the small side car of Officer Jenny's motorcycle, the two of them approaching the group with calm faces despite the severity of the situation. She looks to Kellyn, giving him a simple order in a firm and levelled toned voice, "Kellyn, go after Fearow!"

Officer Jenny echoes Solana's order, reassuring Kellyn that they'll deal with the other men whilst they get Riolu back. Kellyn rushes off without much hesitation after that, bringing Ash along with him, and the two of them rush off in the direction that the man was headed atop their Dodrio, not looking back as they rush off to aid Riolu.

Though, of course, things simply couldn't be that simple.

"Oh, no you don't! Golem, use Sandstorm!" One of the men orders, pointing off in the direction that Ash and Kellyn were headed aggressively.

Another man orders his Rhyhorn to do the same, the two Ground-Type's rallying together and beginning to produce a large sandstorm in the vicinity. Casey reaches into her pocket once again, ready to call on Shellos to help them out, but Dawn beats her to the mark.

"Piplup, Bubblebeam, now!" She calls.

Piplup leaps up off of Dawn's head until he's high above both the opposing Pokemon, arching his small head back before lunging it forward again and sending an onslaught of bubbles at Golem and Rhyhorn, halting their attempts at generating a sandstorm instantly. Both Pokemon go flying back towards their trainers, hardly bracing themselves as they crash back down to the rocky ground, though their setback provides Casey and the others with the perfect opportunity to send out their own Pokemon.

Officer Jenny and Brock act first, both of them sending out Growlithe and Croagunk respectively, the two of them moving to stand beside Piplup as he lands back at Dawn's feet. Casey quickly assesses the Pokemon that they're up against, coming to a logical conclusion on which Pokemon she should send out to help fight back in an instant.

"Dragonair and Shellos, get fired up!" She shouts, withdrawing two Pokeballs and throwing them out in front of her. The capsules burst open and energy spills out of them, materialising into the two Pokemon that she's called upon as they let out proud battle cries.

She wastes no time, calling out two separate commands to her Pokemon determinedly, "Shellos, use Water Pulse! Dragonair, use Aqua Tail!"

Shellos fires off a group of rounded Water Pulses in rapid succession at the Golem whilst Dragonair targets the Graveler, slamming her glowing tail down onto its rough body with extreme force and sending it tumbling to the ground with a resounding thud.

"Dawn, Brock, Officer Jenny, can you guys deal with the other Pokemon?" She asks with the briefest of glances to her friends, "We should be able to handle these two!"

"Got it, Casey! Now, Piplup, use Bubblebeam!" Dawn responds, setting her sights on the Nidoking at the end of the line of adversaries.

It's a slow descent into chaos from that point onwards. Casey keeps her focus on her own Pokemon and who they're up against, though she's briefly aware of her friends fighting just as fiercely by her side the entire time. The men try to counter by ordering their Pokemon to use Sandstorm, though Shellos' perfectly executed Water Pulse puts a stop to that in seconds.

"Now, Dragonair! Use Dragon Rage on Graveler!" She orders decisively, "Shellos, use Water Pulse on Golem!"

Her Pokemon's attacks make direct hits once again, this time resulting in Graveler falling at its trainers feet and failing to get back up. Golem gets back up, albeit with a struggle, and stands alongside the other Pokemon as Graveler is returned to its Pokeball; all the while Croagunk, Piplup, and even Growlithe, fall down at their respective trainers feet, weakened from sustaining substantial amounts of damage from their opponents.

"They're too strong!" Dawn gasps, looking down at her injured friend with wide eyes, "How do we stand up to them?"

"Solana, any ideas?" Casey asks with a glance over at the Pokemon Ranger. She's seriously hoping that Solana's got at least one idea, because she's honestly got nothing right now.

She looks back to their opponents panickedly, grimacing at the sight of them smirking satisfactorily back at her. Their remaining Pokemon look just as proud and powerful, standing in a perfect line as an intimidating force to be reckoned with. She casts her eyes down at her own Pokemon, relieved to discover that her distress hasn't rubbed off on them in any way - that's not to say that they're not concerned, but she can tell by the fiery looks in their eyes and their solid stances that they're ready to fight back when necessary.

Thankfully it doesn't look like it's going to get to that point, much to Casey's relief, as Solana manages to jump in with the perfect counter-strategy along with the help of her Capture Styler.

She fires off the device at a nearby Trapinch, the small vessel zooming around the insectoid's body before encapsulating around it, signifying that the capture's been successful.

"Capture complete!" Solana calls out triumphantly, directing her attention back towards their enemies, "Quick, Trapinch, use Rock Tomb!"

Trapinch lets out a menacing cry despite it's small stature and numerous sharp, jagged rock spikes burst out from underneath the Earth, swarming around the clustered and panicked goons and their Pokemon before they can react to what's going on. A circle of bladed stones trap them within a confined space, leaving them helpless and unable to fight back.

Casey watches, unsure on what to do, as Officer Jenny and Solana rush towards the trapped criminals, the latter giving a brief thanks to Trapinch before it burrows back underground again. She knows that she should be rushing to help, but she doubts that she'll be able to do much else now. Besides, it seems that Solana and Officer Jenny have it covered.

"Shell!"

Casey instantly feels at ease when her Pokemon rush towards her gleefully. She kneels down to the ground as they reach her, almost falling back when the two of them jump at her enthusiastically, Shellos perching on her left shoulder whilst Dragonair heads for her right side.

"Thank you. Both of you. You two were incredible." She praises honestly, chuckling as Dragonair nuzzles her head in the side of the arm affectionately.

"She's right, you know?" Brock says as he approaches from behind, pocketing Croagunk's Pokeball after having returned the Toxic Mouth Pokemon to its capsule, "You were both great!"

"How's Croagunk, Brock?" Casey asks after her own Pokemon's enthusiastic cries die down.

"Croagunk will be just fine." Brock says, reassuringly.

"Dawn?" She murmurs with a glance over her shoulder at the bluenette, who smiles back at her warmly.

"Piplup's just fine, isn't that right, Piplup?" She replies, the Penguin Pokemon in her arms echoing her sentiments, "So there's no need to worry!"

Casey lets out a deep breath that she hadn't even realised she was holding upon hearing that. She's relieved to know that her friends and their Pokemon - well, at least _most_ of them - are just fine.

Besides, she's certain that Ash and Kellyn will get Riolu back, so she knows that everything will work out just fine.

* * *

The engine of Officer Jenny's motorbike rumbles as she drives off into the distance, a truck containing the criminals that attempted to steal Riolu being driven by one of her colleagues just behind her. Casey watches as the faces of the criminals become gradually less distinguishable as the truck drives away before looking back to Kellyn and Solana, who are both stood beside an elderly gentleman who's holding Riolu in his arms. Solana called him shortly after she and Officer Jenny dealt with the criminals, briefly informing Casey and her friends that he's from Riolu's kingdom and would be able to look after Riolu from here on out.

Not that any of them needed an explanation. They're all just happy that Riolu's gonna be taken care of.

"So, thanks to all of you, our mission has been safely accomplished. You were all great!" Kellyn praises with a smile.

"Don't forget, I told you Ash would be a great help!" Solana says to Kellyn, the boy rolling his eyes lightheartedly at her cockiness as Ash's cheeks grow red.

"It wasn't much!" Ash replies modestly, scratching the back of his embarrassedly.

"And on behalf of the many wonderful people who live in our kingdom, I wish to convey my sincere gratitude for returning Riolu to us." Riolu's trainer says gratefully, respectfully nodding to them all in thanks.

"Thanks, and since Riolu's first group of captors have been arrested as well, you can return home without a worry." Brock says, much to the immense relief of Riolu's elderly trainer. Something tells Casey that the promise of no threat coming to Riolu or its kingdom is something that the man was waiting to hear about.

"Riolu, make sure you take care of yourself, okay?" Casey says, smiling, "And keep working on that Aura Sphere of yours. You've got something really special in that."

"And you take good care of this, too." Ash adds, extending Riolu's special doll out it with a smile. He gently places the doll into the Emanation Pokemon's hand before pulling back.

Riolu looks down at the doll in awe before showing it off to its trainer; Ash suddenly winces as Riolu does this, eliciting concern from Casey and the others at his sudden impulsive reaction.

"Ash, are you okay?" Dawn asks, concerned.

"Riolu's aura, right?" Kellyn asks with a fond smile, catching onto what's occurred in an instant.

"Yeah." Ash nods to Kellyn before looking back to Riolu, "That was just Riolu telling me thanks. That's what ya said, didn't ya?"

Casey can't help but smile at Riolu's gleeful response, and although she's glad that they've managed to help Riolu, she can't help but feel uneasy at the thought of J still being out there and at large. She can tell that they're going to run into her again.

Here's hoping that they'll be more prepared to fight back next time around.


	25. Meeting Contest Masters

**Hey, everyone! I'm back!**

 **Well, not exactly.**

 **I've had this chapter written up for a while, but I haven't uploaded it simply because I feel like nobody is interested in this story anymore. Of course, I love Pokemon, but it's hard to write for something when you know that nobody has an interest for it. Of course, I'll come back to writing this when I feel inspired, but until then I don't know when this'll be updated again.**

 **I'm so sorry, but I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless.**

* * *

 _"Riolu's aura, right?" Kellyn asks with a fond smile, catching onto what's occurred in an instant._

 _"Yeah." Ash nods to Kellyn before looking back to Riolu, "That was just Riolu telling me thanks. That's what ya said, didn't ya?"_

 _Casey can't help but smile at Riolu's gleeful response, and although she's glad that they've managed to help Riolu, she can't help but feel uneasy at the thought of J still being out there and at large. She can tell that they're going to run into her again._

 _Here's hoping that they'll be more prepared to fight back next time around._

* * *

Casey yawns contently as she strolls through the Pokemon Center alongside Monferno, the glass panelled door leading out into the outdoor training area of the Center being her destination. She, as usual, slept in way past her friends, but at least she has a justifiable reason this time around. She had been up until rather late last night training alongside her Pokemon, only stopping when Brock talked some sense into her and reminded her that sleep's just as important as training.

She woke up around twenty minutes ago (she has Monferno to thank for basically shaking her awake) and was quick to find a note that her friends had left her (remarking how they had gone outside so that Dawn could work on some Contest moves), along with some food that Brock had kindly saved her from breakfast. Casey had eaten the food, grateful that it filled a certain hungry pit in her stomach, and made a mental note to thank Brock for such a delicious meal before getting dressed to head out and meet her friends.

She had expected to see her friends training alongside their Pokemon upon stepping outside, or perhaps them just talking together; what she hadn't expected to see was an entire news crew surrounded her flustered and clearly confused friends.

"Hey, guys...what's going on?" Casey asks, tentatively, as she approaches her friends, Monferno slowly following behind her.

"Hey, kid! You haven't seen Contest Master Wallace hanging around here, have you?" The reporter asks, practically shoving past her friends in an attempt to bombard her with questions, her crew men stumbling behind her awkwardly in an attempt to hover a microphone over her head.

 _Contest Master Wallace? He's that guy from Hoenn, right?_

She briefly remembers hearing about a guy called Wallace at some point in the past, but she's certain that she hasn't actually seem him in the flash.

"I've heard of him, but I haven't seen him." She shrugs, "Why? Is he near here?"

"Well, it's his day off, and because of that his staff refuses to tell me where he is."

 _That's probably because he doesn't want any nosy reporters asking him a bunch of questions._

"Excuse me?!" The reporter practically hisses, panic rushing through Casey at the sound of her voice.

Her eyes flicker over to her friends, realisation setting in when she sees their wide eyes and shocked expressions, "Did I just say that out loud?"

"Do you know who I am, kid? I'm Rhonda! I host the most popular show in the Sinnoh Region! How dare you-!?"

Casey watches, mortified, as the reporter's crew practically drags her away from the area, her rage still festering and her legs kicking out in a struggle as they barely manage to pull her away.

"Well...that's not how I pictured my morning going." Casey murmurs as she looks over at her friends, "What exactly did she want anyway?"

"She wanted us to keep an eye out for Wallace." Brock replies, "Apparently he's in the forest somewhere."

"Can you believe that? Wallace is in the same forest as us!" Dawn gasps, excited.

Casey glances down at Monferno, her trusted partner picking up on the exact same thing as her in that moment and he gives her a slight nod, prompting her to look back to Dawn with a suggestion.

"Why don't we go out and try to find Wallace? After all, it's clear that you want to meet him, and I'd like to meet him too." She suggests before looking down to Monferno again, "What about you, pal? Do you wanna meet him?"

"Mon!"

She smiles and looks back to Dawn, who's smiling back at her just as much, "That sounds great, Casey!"

Ash agrees instantly, chiming in his usual enthusiastic manner, "Alright, then! Let's go find Wallace!"

* * *

It quickly becomes apparent to Casey that finding a famous person is a lot harder than she initially thought it to be. Sure, she hadn't expected it to be exceptionally easy to begin with, but...well, she honestly didn't know what else she was expecting. It also doesn't help that it feels like their walking in circles, or at least throughout the same set location over and over and over again. She shouldn't have expected much else - they are in a forest, after all - but the constant repetition of trees and more trees doesn't half make the task of finding Wallace all the more monotonous.

"Mon-ferno! Mon!" Monferno groans tiredly as he strolls alongside Casey, clearly already tired of their futile attempts to locate Wallace.

"I know, pal. I'm tired too." She replies with a sympathetic glance at her partner, understanding fully well just how frustrated he is.

"So, where do you look for a famous guy?" Ash asks as they come to a stop, briefly scanning the nearby area for any sign of Wallace.

"I don't know. I don't see a thing." Dawn says.

Casey looks around the nearby area, quickly becoming intrigued by the sight of a mist entrenched pond not too far away. That wouldn't be anything abnormal if the rest of the forest were covered in such a mist, but the fact that it's not make the pond stick out as something odd in her mind.

Casey contemplates it for a moment before speaking up, "Guys, I think we should check this out."

"Sure thing, Casey." Ash agrees.

They head towards the mist, Casey and Monferno leading the group, and it's at the misty pond that they find quite the enchanting sight. In the middle of the pond stands perhaps one of the most gorgeous and majestic Pokemon that Casey's ever seen, the Pokemon in question singing melodically in the most peaceful manner she's ever witnessed.

"Wow!" Dawn gasps in awe, "Could that be a Milotic?"

"Milotic, huh?" Casey murmurs, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing her Pokedex to record the Pokemon's data.

 _"Milotic, the Tender Pokémon and the evolved form of Feebas. At the first sign of fighting, Milotic will come up from the bottom of its lake habitat to calm any angry feelings."_

 _The dex has got that last part right. It sure is calming._

"No way! It's him!"

Casey places her Pokedex back in her pocket hastily when she hears Dawn gasp once again beside her, the bluenette's eyes focused on a spot past the top of Casey's head. She turns around and sees precisely what she's looking at - a man, perhaps only in his early twenties, with turquoise hair and eyes and clad in a rather elegant gown, sits perched a top of a rock at the waters edge, looking over at the Milotic rather fondly.

Casey puts two and two together rather quickly.

 _Yeah, that's Wallace._

"Well, well. Hello there, everyone!" Wallace says, surprised, as he turns from the pond to look over at them.

Milotic stops singing when it notices their presence, nervously cowering in on itself in the middle of the pond. Wallace takes not, looking over at the Pokemon sympathetically, "It's quite alright, Milotic. It's safe."

Milotic coos back, now at ease, and Wallace smiles before looking back to Casey and the others, "Sorry about Milotic. You just caught it off guard. I'm sure that it'll be just fine now."

Casey instantly feels bad for interrupting Milotic's (and presumably Wallace's) peaceful morning, and it's only when one of the Pokeballs in her pocket bursts open that she snaps out of her thoughts.

Dragonair materialises at her side with a content cry despite everyone's shock, her sights set on the pond ahead with a curious glance. Casey watches her, smiling when she realises what she's after, "Go on, Dragonair. Go around and play."

"That's a great idea, Casey! What about you, buddy? Do you want to go and play?" Ash says with a glance over at Pikachu.

The Mouse Pokemon leaps down from his trainers shoulders and rushes after Dragonair, leaping up onto her back as she prepares to dive into the water. Piplup jumps out of Dawn's arms to go and join them, and it's not long before the three of them are happily playing around with Milotic in the cooling waters.

Casey and her friends take a seat at the ponds edge, watching fondly as they swim around happily together. She's surprised that Dragonair came out of her Pokeball like that, but she figures that she likely heard Milotic's song and wanting to come out and play.

"So, tell me, what brings all of you out here?" Wallace asks from atop the rock, Casey almost jumping at the sound of his voice. She had gotten so relaxed watching the Pokemon play that she had forgotten that he was there.

"We, uh...we wanted to meet you." Dawn admits, her voice sheepish.

"I'm humbled that you're saying that..." He replies.

"Dawn."

"Dawn." He confirms, "It's nice to meet you. All of you."

"I'm Ash, and that's my partner, Pikachu." Ash says, gesturing to Pikachu as he giggles gleefully out on the pond.

"I'm Brock." Brock says.

"I'm Casey, and this is Monferno." Casey smiles with a nod to Monferno, who's sat to her right listening intently to the conversation.

"Mon!" Monferno says with a wave of his hand, eliciting a smile from Wallace.

"Wallace, can I ask you something?" Casey asks.

"Of course."

"What brings you all the way out here?" She asks, "I mean, it's not exactly an easy place to find."

"Ever since I arrived in Sinnoh, my schedule just never seems to end. The talk shows, magazines, radio...even back at the hotel, the fans are all over me. And so I pleaded with my staff to give me just one day off to truly relax and have some quality time with Milotic." Wallace explains, turning towards the pond and looking at his Milotic with a small smile, "Milotic hasn't looked this happy since we arrived in Sinnoh. My beautiful Milotic."

"That's for sure. Beautiful's right." Dawn murmurs, captivated by the sight of Milotic.

"Why, thank you." Wallace replies, turning back to them, "The most important thing for Pokemon and trainer is kinship, and should you ever forget about that, your Pokemon will never shine."

"You're so right." Ash echoes, his tone guilty, "I feel bad that we bothered you while you were taking a break. We won't let anyone know you're here."

"That's very nice. Thank you all." Wallace replies, his voice genuine. He turns to look back out onto the pond, a look of awe rising on his face, "Casey, that Dragonair of yours is truly magnificent. Does Dragonair ever compete in Pokemon Contests?"

"Pokemon Contests? No, she never has. You see, Ash and I are both training to take part in the Sinnoh League. Dawn's the one collecting ribbons." Casey replies.

"Fascinating." Wallace murmurs, thinking to himself for a few moments before replying again, "Well, I'd be delighted if you'd consider entering the Wallace Cup alongside that Dragonair of yours."

"You want us to enter the Wallace Cup?"

The thought had never even crossed Casey's mind. Would she even be any good in a Contest Battle? They aren't quite the same as regular battles. Would Dragonair even want to compete?

"That's an excellent idea!" Ash chimes in, "After all, Wallace, Dawn's going to be entering the Wallace Cup herself, so we're heading to Lake Valor anyway."

"Ash!" Dawn exclaims, her cheeks flushing red at the mention of her name in the conversation.

"Dawn, I must say that I'm honored to have you as one of our entrants." Wallace says humbly, the bluenette's cheeks growing redder at such a compliment, "In fact, if you don't mind, I'd love to see some of your Contest moves in action right now."

"Right now?!" Dawn asks, shocked.

"That's great, Dawn! What an opportunity!" Brock reassures her.

"Brock's right, Dawn." Casey says, "Think about how ready you'll be for the Wallace Cup? This is the perfect opportunity to get in some practice!"

"I guess so, but..." Dawn says, her voice trailing off hesitantly.

"I've got it! You can battle me!" Ash suggests excitedly.

"Battle you?"

"Of course! We'll have a Contest Battle!"

Dawn still looks hesitant to the offer, and it's only when Piplup comes back to the shore and encourages her to accept the offer that she finally does, turning to Wallace with a grateful smile, "Thank you, Wallace. I'd be honored if you watched us battle."

"The honor, I'm sure, will be all mine." Wallace replies, jumping down from the rock as Milotic swims to the shore, Dragonair and Pikachu coming over shortly afterwards.

"Did you have fun, buddy?" Ash asks as Pikachu rushes back over to him, jumping up onto his shoulder as Ash pets the side of his face affectionally.

Casey smiles at the sight, moving over to Dragonair as she gets out of the pond, Monferno trailing behind her, "What about you, Dragonair? Did you have fun?"

Dragonair responds gleefully, bringing another smile to Casey's face, "I'm glad to hear it."

"Shall we hold the battle over there?" Wallace says as he gestures to a small clearing on the banks of the pond.

"Sure!" Ash replies, him and the others all beginning to make their way over to the clearing.

Casey turns to Dragonair, the Dragon Pokemon tilting her head to the side slightly in confusion, making her trainer chuckle, "Ash and Dawn are gonna have a battle. Let's go and watch, yeah?"

Both of her Pokemon agree unanimously with her suggestion, the both of them rushing towards the group as Casey follows behind them. She joins Brock and Wallace at the side of the battlefield, glancing over to Monferno and Dragonair as they come and sit at her side.

"I'd like you two to watch Ash and Dawn's battle, okay? Especially you, Dragonair." She says, "I'm sure that there's a lot we can learn from the two of them."

Both sides perform elegantly, Buizel and Piplup's Water-Type moves complimenting each other perfectly. She hears Brock make the occasional remark to Wallace throughout the battle, though she doesn't pay much attention to it, instead watching the battle unfold as intently as her Pokemon are beside her. Dragonair and Monferno don't take their eyes off the battlefield once, the former seeming particularly captivated by the battle.

 _It should be easy enough to convince her to take part in the Wallace Cup, then._

The battle ends with Buizel's explosive Aqua Jet colliding with Piplup's intensive whirlpool, the powerful water forces dispersing upon contact and showering the battlefield in glistening droplets of water.

Wallace applauds their performances and they agree to end the battle, both Ash and Dawn quickly praising their Pokemon for their performances. A moment passes before they come over to join the group, Wallace taking interest in them as soon as they arrive,

"So, Dawn, I hear it was you who raised Buizel. Since it was Buizel who was so fond of battling, it would be wonderful to see those impressive moves utilised in a Contest. Remember, Buizel's unique battle style comes from the way you raised it." He suggests, glancing between both Ash and Dawn, "So, what would you think of entering the Wallace Cup with Buizel as your partner, Ash?"

Ash gasps, clearly surprised by his suggestion. "Here's the thing: the both of us get really pumped up and then we totally forget about the performance."

"I reckon we'd struggle with that as well, wouldn't we?" Casey asks Dragonair, who coos in agreement, before looking to Ash, "Still, I think entering would be good for us and our Pokemon."

"Well, I'd be honoured if you all entered." Wallace beams, "I can't wait to see what you all come up with!"

"So, Wallace. What did you think of Dawn and Piplup's performance?" Brock asks curiously.

Wallace hums to himself, placing his forefinger to the tip of his chin as he ponders on Brock's question for a moment. He looks back to Dawn after thinking for a few seconds.

"The way you show your moves is flawless. Very well researched and rehearsed. But, I heard some things about Piplup from Brock, and I do think that you may be focusing too much on the moves themselves. Think for a moment about Piplup's basic nature. It can't all be about dramatic performance, so I suggest keeping it more natural." He explains, Dawn watching him intently the entire time. "Dawn, I was wondering, have you played with your Pokemon recently?"

"Played with them?" Dawn mumbles, a look of realisation crossing her face suddenly and making her gasp, "You're right! I've been concentrating too much on working in Contests! The truth is: I've been thinking more about myself. I've been putting my own needs over my Pokemon's the whole time!"

Casey smiles at her friend. She's glad that she's figured out what it is that's been holding her back. Dawn's been doubting herself for so long that she's been worried that the bluenette may not return to her former confidence. Something tells her that this is the start of that process.

Now, onward to the Wallace Cup, and hopefully a new experience for them all.


	26. Tag-Battling and Food Recovering

**I'm back! Well, I'm starting up with school and it's getting difficult, so consistent updates are gonna be difficult, but at least I have this one for you all! I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 _Casey smiles at her friend. She's glad that she's figured out what it is that's been holding her back. Dawn's been doubting herself for so long that she's been worried that the bluenette may not return to her former confidence. Something tells her that this is the start of that process._

 _Now, onward to the Wallace Cup, and hopefully a new experience for them all._

* * *

 **Valor Lakefront - Sinnoh**

The skies above the port are crystal clear, spare a few fluffy, white clouds scattered around. It's a nice morning, which is nice considering that Casey and her friends have been stood in the port of Lake Valor for the best part of the last hour waiting for the arrival of a certain boat from the Johto region.

Ash and Brock have told her and Dawn all about their friend May, a coordinator that they travelled around with before coming to Sinnoh. From what they've heard, May seems cool. She sounds more similar to Dawn than Casey, but from what she's gathered so far she reckons that they'll all get along well.

The port's empty, which is surprising given the fact that the Lakefront is positively packed with people from across Sinnoh and the rest of the world. The Wallace Cup isn't until tomorrow but people have already travelled to the area for the event. Most of the hotels are fully booked (it was a miracle that they managed to get rooms when they arrived last night), the shopping areas are packed with fans rushing to buy Wallace Cup orientated merchandise, and all possible training areas are full of Coordinators perfecting their performances for tomorrow.

She gets it: the urge to train relentlessly right before a big event. She's been working on some stuff with Dragonair these last couple of days for the competition herself. Whilst it's clear that Dragonair isn't a Contest trained Pokemon, Casey's been both surprised and impressed with the skill that she's shown in such a short amount of time.

Could they win it? Who knows? But they're definitely going to try as hard as anyone else to do just that.

The Wallace Cup isn't the only thing that's been on her mind though. She's put it down to pre-Contest nerves, but she hasn't felt quite right since they arrived at the Lakefront. She can't quite put her finger on it, but something just feels off. It worries her to think that she's felt like that a lot recently. She feels like Monferno may have picked up on it, but she would've been surprised if he hadn't. He always knows when something's amiss with her, as she does with him. That's one of the many reasons why they function so well as a team.

"Mon?" He murmurs beside her, snapping her out of her reverie as she looks to him with a smile.

"I'm alright, pal. Just thinking."

"Yoo-hoo! Long time no see!" A distant shout comes from across the water. Casey looks out at the approaching boat, more specifically at the person stood at the front of the boat waving to them.

"It's May!"

Ash and Brock perk up at the sight of their old friend, their excitement only growing as the boat pulls into the port. May disembarks, approaching them with an increased pace and two shopping bags in either hand.

"Wow! Ash, Pikachu and Brock! It's good to see you!" May chirps, coming to a stop in front of the group.

"Thanks, May! It's great to see you too!" Ash replies.

Brock gestures to the bags in May's hands, a quizzical expression on his face, "Uh, that's a lot of...luggage."

"No! This stuff?" May asks with a nod to the bags, "I brought presents!"

She places the bags down onto the ground and kneels down to rifle through them, first withdrawing two wooden models and handing them over to Ash and Brock. Casey recognises them as being modelled after Teddiursa and Ursaring, the latter going to Brock and the former going to Ash. The boys marvel their presents, (Brock being slightly more hesitant that Ash as he questions their exact purpose) thanking May for them as she withdraws a small box and passes it over to Dawn with a warm smile.

"For Dawn and Piplup!" She smiles, "It's so nice to meet you both! I hope you like it!"

Dawn carefully opens up the small box, revealing an adorable Piplup face pendant with a silver chain. She gushes enthusiastically to May, thanking her for the lovely gift and reciprocating what she's said.

Casey peers over Dawn's shoulder and eyes up the gift herself. It's adorable and perfectly fitting to something that Dawn would wear. May definitely has similar taste to Dawn, that's for sure. Probably comes with the both of them being coordinators.

"And I didn't forget about you, Casey. Here you go." May says. Casey moves away from Dawn and looks to May, gratefully accepting the gift that the coordinator extends out to her. "I hope you like it!"

Casey opens up the present, revealing a box of Rage Candy Bars and a couple of bottles of Moomoo Milk. She smiles at the sight of the food - she loved it back when she was travelling through Johto.

"Ash and Brock told me all about how you travelled through Johto, so I figured I'd bring you a little reminder of those times."

"Wow, thanks, May! It's great to finally meet you!" Casey replies enthusiastically, placing the gifts into her backpack with the mental note that she'll have to enjoy them later along with her Pokemon. She wants them to try the Rage Candy Bars.

Reunions completed, the group begins to head away from the port and towards the main area of the Lakefront. May leads the group as they head up the stone steps that originally lead them down to the port, Brock kicking off the next conversation with a question.

"So, are you all ready to compete in the Wallace Cup?"

"Yeah! I've been waiting to do this for such a long time! As soon as I heard it was going to be in Sinnoh, I came here as fast as I could!" May explains.

"It feels like half of Sinnoh did the same. I've never seen the Lakefront this packed." Casey muses, thinking about the previous times that she's been to the Lakefront. Sure, it's always been a busy place, but never as busy as it is right now. Then again, it's never held an event as big as the Wallace Cup on its shores before.

"Wait, you've been here before, Casey?" Dawn asks, surprised.

Casey nods, "With my grandfather. It's not too far from Pastoria City, so it was easy enough for us to come over here for a day out or a short vacation."

Her Grandfather's never had loads of money, but they always had enough to get by and occasionally spend what they did have frivolously. One of the fondest memories she has is a time she came down to the Lakefront with her Grandfather on a sunny summer day when she was eight. They went to the Seven Stars restaurant, A.K.A one of the best places to eat in all of Sinnoh. Her Grandfather had to win a battle against the owners in order for them to eat there, but once he did it was so worth it because the food was absolutely delicious.

Perhaps she should stop off there at some point whilst they're at the Lakefront.

She turns to Monferno, smiling, "That was before even you were around, pal."

He gives her a look as if to say 'seriously' and it makes her burst out laughing, "Sorry, pal."

"Wow, Casey! You and Monferno seem really close!" May remarks.

"Of course. Monferno's my partner."

"Mon!" Monferno chimes in, agreeing.

Of course, she's close with all of her Pokemon, but the connection that she has with Monferno is something else entirely. She can't explain it. It's the kind of bond that doesn't need words or actions to function. It just exists as a constant.

"So, what's Max up to these days?" Ash asks, moving the topic of conversation along to something else.

Casey recognises the name from what Ash and Brock have told her and Dawn about May. Max is her little brother who travelled with the three of them despite the fact that he's not old enough to have a Pokemon of his own just yet.

"Max is doing great!" May tells the group, "He's hard at work helping to take care of Dad's Pokemon. He's always talking about doing it just like he learned from Brock. Needless to say, Dad's as proud as he can be."

"Of course! Max was always watching Brock super closely."

"That's amazing." Dawn remarks, clearly impressed, "So, May, when did you arrive in Sinnoh?"

"Three days ago. There was something I really wanted to do before the Wallace Cup got started. So, first I went to Snowpoint City." May explains as they reach the top of the staircase, arriving at a small clearing.

"So, what did you do?"

"I'll show you!" May replies excitedly, reaching for a Pokeball and tossing it out in front of her confidently. "Now, Glaceon, on stage!"

A Glaceon bursts out of the Pokeball with elegance, standing before them all with confidence and grace. All of them gasp, Brock and Ash in particular, and Casey instantly reaches into her pocket and pulls out her Pokedex, aiming the device at Glaceon.

 _"Glaceon, the Fresh Snow Pokémon and the evolved form of Eevee. Glaceon can freeze the fur on its body, and make it stick out like sharp needles."_

"So cute!" Dawn squeals excitedly.

Casey casts a glance down at Monferno as May begins to explain how her Eevee evolved into a Glaceon, noticing the sudden look of discontent crossing his face.

"You okay, pal?" She asks, tone worried. Could it be something to do with Glaceon? She hopes not.

He looks back up at her, clearly bothered about something, and just before she's about to ask him again she hears the faint growling of his stomach that makes her chuckle, much to his chagrin.

"Ah, so that's what it is." She remarks, looking away from him and over to her friends, "Hey, do you guys mind if we get something to eat? I think Monferno's a bit hungry."

"Of course." May replies, "And don't worry, because I just so happened to make reservations at the perfect place! Only the most popular restaurant in Valor Lakefront!"

* * *

"This is it?"

Casey smirks over at Ash, "Trust me, Ash, the food is phenomenal. My Grandfather took me here once."

The group stands outside the entrance to the Seven Stars Restaurant, a place that she hasn't been to in years. From the outside it may not look like much, but on the inside it's a whole different story.

"Whatever you say, I guess." Ash mumbles, and it's made clear that he's not going to protest it when his stomach grumbles as deeply as Monferno's has been the entire way here.

She looks over at the Playful Pokemon, smiling sympathetically when she sees the look of discontent on his face, "Don't worry, pal. This'll be great, trust me."

The group heads inside then, May leading the pack with Casey and Monferno trailing just behind. They enter into a grand room which has been decorated ornately and with sophistication that makes Casey sigh contently at the sight.

 _Ah, just how I remember it._

At the end of the door before a tall door stands a man, dressed in formal restaurant attire that matches the sophistication and class of the room to a tee.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen." The gentleman greets, bowing gracefully at the party as they approach him.

"Reservations for May." May says politely.

"Of course, Miss May, we've been waiting for you. You have reservations for five." He explains, gesturing to the tall wooden door behind him, "Please, right this way."

"Are you sure about this place, Casey?" She hears Dawn murmur behind her as they begin to follow the gentleman towards the door.

She smirks, "Trust me on this one, Dawn. It's great."

They're just approaching the door when it suddenly bursts open, just narrowly missing the gentleman leading them towards him - though he doesn't even flinch, almost as if he was expecting it to open. A young boy, perhaps around Casey's age, bursts through breathlessly, a perturbed expression plastered across his frustrated features.

"You're leaving?" He asks, tone intrigued but also suspecting.

"I'm gonna go back and train some more, but I'm gonna eat here if it's the last thing I do!" He exclaims, then making a mad dash for the exit but calling back to them as he goes, "I won't forget this!"

Casey's not as surprised as her friends by the boy's sudden and rather unexpected exit. She's fairly certain she knows why he's leaving, as well. It becomes obvious to anyone who's been to the Seven Stars before.

"What was that about?" Dawn asks, clearly confused.

"Of course, I forgot!" Casey exclaims. For a moment there, she had totally forgotten that her friends have never been here before. She turns to the gentleman, tone polite, "Sir, can we go on through?"

He nods, "Of course, Miss. Follow me."

He leads them into the next room, and Casey finds herself smirking at the sound of her friends (and, yes, even Monferno's) surprised gasps when they come across not a packed and classy restaurant, but a battlefield instead.

"It's a battlefield!"

"Yep. If we want to eat here, we're gonna have to battle for our food." Casey explains, smiling giddily just as she did all those years ago, "The owners love to battle, so we're gonna have to defeat them in order to try their food. My Grandfather had to defeat them when we came here."

 _This restaurant truly is amazing! Battles and food rolled into one! No wonder it's rated so highly!_

"What? But what happens if we lose?" Brock asks, shocked.

"We don't get to eat."

Sure, the rules of this place are kinda harsh, but you can't deny that it offers a unique dining experience. Well, at least that's what Casey's grandfather told her all those years ago.

"Mon!" Monferno squeals at her side when she replies, and she's kneeling down at his side in an instant to pat his head comfortingly when that look of discontent from earlier resurfaces. It's sorta like a reflex.

"Don't worry, pal. You can sit this one out. Shellos can help me out here." She smiles, and she chuckles to herself when she sees him sigh audibly in complete and utter relief.

 _He's really hungry, huh?_

"You must be our next customers, then!"

She stands up when she hears the faintly familiar voice of one of the restaurant owners. She doesn't remember much about the two of them, but it's clear from their formal and elegant outfits that their sophisticated style hasn't changed one bit throughout the years.

"Welcome to the Seven Stars restaurant. My name is Roman and I'm a restauranteur who prides himself on the finest cuisine." Roman explains, and it's clear from the tone of his voice that he's proud of his establishment.

"And my name is Kylie. I've spared no expense in providing the finest in decor and ambience." The woman at his side adds, curtsying to them all and bowing her head respectfully.

"So, how shall we proceed?" The gentleman who led them in asks, who by now as crossed the room to stand on the sidelines of the battlefield to equally address both parties, "Normally I would suggest tag battles, but since there are five of you, one of you will need to battle either Mr Roman or Miss Kylie alone."

"I'll go alone."

Everyone looks at her in surprise, even Monferno.

"Casey, are you sure?" Dawn asks.

"Of course. Shellos has been waiting for a battle opportunity like this for a while. She hasn't had the chance in a long time." Casey explains truthfully. She feels as if Shellos hasn't got as much of an opportunity to battle as her other Pokemon have recently, and she's been putting in so much training that she only deserves to show it off.

Besides, she couldn't battle the last time she was here because she was too young. It'll be nice to get that chance this time around.

"Very well, Miss." The gentleman says, bowing respectfully once again, "If you may step forward."

Casey nods, stepping forward into the battle box whilst her friends go and sit on the sidelines, and Monferno instinctively steps into the box alongside her, looking up at her expectantly. The sight's endearing, and she's kneeling down at his side when she notices how sluggish his movements are due to his hunger.

"You go sit with Ash and the others, okay, Monferno?" She suggests, nodding towards the group with a smile, "I'll get us that food in no time, 'kay?"

He nods, giving her a look as if to say 'don't lose' that makes her laugh.

"Don't worry, I won't."

She stands as he leaves, turning back towards the owners of the Seven Stars and reaching straight for her pockets, hand clasping over Shellos' Pokeball in preparation. She pauses when a look of surprising recognition crosses Kylie's face.

"I remember this child, Roman! She came along with that elderly gentleman!" She gasps.

"Why yes, Dear! He gave you quite the excellent battle, didn't he?" Roman remarks to her before turning towards Casey, bowing to her respectfully, "Young lady, I would honoured to battle you this time around. Do you accept my challenge?"

"I accept your challenge."

Oh, how long she's been waiting to say those words here.

"Excellent! Now, Snorlax!" Roman says, throwing a Pokeball out onto the battlefield elegantly whilst Kylie steps back to allow the battle to commence.

A ginormous figure bursts out of the device, materialising in front of her in it's full gargantuan size. Snorlax stands tall, poised and ready to battle, characteristics that are far unlike any other Snorlax that Casey's met in the past.

She's certain that it'll be a formidable opponent.

"Alright, Shellos! Let's show 'em what you've got!"

She sends her out onto the battlefield with full confidence, knowing full well that she's more than capable of winning this battle, what with all the training she's been putting in. She's noticed that over the last few days in particular. Whenever she's woken up, Shellos has always been up already, seemingly for quite a while based on the lively way she's been acting.

Every time she sees the Sea Slug Pokemon up so early, she feels a guilty feeling build in the pit of her stomach. It's as if she's trying to prove herself, something that Casey doubts she'd feel she has to be doing if she was getting in more battle time.

She might even try to get Shellos into some battles at the Wallace Cup if she gets past the first round. She hopes that Dragonair won't mind that.

"Battle begin!" The gentleman acting as the referee declares, swinging his arm down to declare the beginning of the battle.

"Okay, Shellos, use Rain Dance!" Shellos takes a deep breath and looks up to the ceiling, letting out a bellowing cry that summons multiple rain clouds to the space above the battlefield that showers both Pokemon in water.

"Snorlax, use Mega Punch!" Roman declares in a counter strike. Snorlax's fist glows with a clear aura that swirls around the end of its large fist, its targets set directly for its opponent.

"Shellos, dodge it!"

Shellos slides out of the way of the attack with ease, all the while rain chucking down on the battlefield.

"Now, use Water Pulse!" Casey commands. Shellos lets out a loud battle cry as a large orb of water forms at her face, and then she's sending it flying directly at Snorlax with great strength.

It strikes the Sleeping Pokemon directly in the chest, sending the ginormous Sleeping Pokemon to it's knees as it lets out a groan at the sudden forced movement.

"No! Snorlax!" Roman cries.

"Let's finish this with Mud Bomb!" Shellos elongates her neck and draws her head back, launching it forward and firing a myriad of mud orbs directly at Snorlax, all of which successfully hit.

Snorlax falls down to the floor, the force of which sends dust cascading around the battlefield as the rain begins to clear. It's only when the dust finally settles that the outcome of the battle is decided upon.

"Snorlax is unable to battle! The battle goes to the challenger!"

"Shell!" Shellos cries triumphantly, turning towards her trainer with a look of pure pride and achievement.

"Wow, Shellos!" Casey smiles, "All that training really paid off, huh?"

"Shell!"

Casey's genuinely surprised. Of course, she knows that Shellos has always been strong, but to take down a powerful Pokemon like Snorlax is no easy feat. She's so proud that she can't even fault Shellos when she jumps up onto her shoulder and nestles at her side.

"Excellent battle." Roman calls just as he's pocketing Snorlax's now full Pokeball, bowing gracefully at both Casey and Shellos, "It would be an honor if you dined at our fine establishment."

"Thank you, Roman." Casey replies politely, then turning to her friends, who were watching the battle with avid attention the entire time, "So, guys, who's ne-?"

She's interrupted when the doors at the end of the room suddenly swing open, a distressed waiter bursting through exasperatedly.

"Roman! Somehow every single piece of solitary food from the kitchen's been stolen!" He cries, and everyone gasps in shock at his statement.

Casey hears her friends murmur in disappointment, and no one's as disappointed as Monferno is. The Playful Pokemon jumps right out of his seat, rushing towards her and crying out indignantly whilst flailing his arms wildly.

"Mon! Mon-ferno! Mon! Mon! Mon!"

Casey feels Shellos nestle into the side of her neck, clearly frightened by his behaviour, and she's quick to kneel down at his side in an attempt to calm him down somewhat.

"Whoa! Monferno, chill out!" She soothes, grabbing his arms and bringing them to rest, "It's okay. We'll sort this, okay?"

"Mon!"

She sighs, "Come on, pal. Help me out here."

"Casey!" Ash calls out to her, and she turns away from Monferno to see him and the others rushing into the kitchen. She was so focused on Monferno that she didn't even notice that they had moved, "Let's go!"

She nods, "Right!"

After checking that Shellos is at ease, she follows on after Ash, with Monferno trailing begrudgingly behind. They head out into the main restaurant, gasping in shock at the sight of the mess that's been left there. She goes to stand by her friends as a chef bursts into the room through the kitchen, apologising profusely to Roman upon the sight of him.

"I'm so sorry, Mr Roman, but everything's gone! It's all been stolen!" He cries, bowing respectfully with every word.

"A travesty! How could this have happened?" Roman says, exasperated, "That food was for the gourmet enjoyment of our victorious customers!"

"Well, you've got that right! And I'm gonna get our lunch back!" May proclaims determinedly, and then she's reaching for a Pokeball and tossing out in front of her before anyone can even question it.

Out of the Pokeball spawns a Munchlax, and ordinarily Casey would get out her Pokedex and scan the Pokemon's information into the device, but she knows how desperate Monferno is to eat lunch and she's not about to do anything that may delay that from happening.

"Munchlax?" Dawn murmurs, clearly quizzical, "May, what exactly are you gonna do?"

"Just watch!" May replies, confident. She kneels down at Munchlax's side, instructing it clearly and carefully, "Now, Munchlax, I know you remember that delicious smell, so I want you to go and follow it!"

Munchlax nods, and Casey watches as its nostrils flare as it begins to sniff around the area. It takes a moment, but then it picks up on the scent with relative ease, turning to its trainer to let her know that its got it.

"Cool! Munchlax has got the scent!"

Everyone audibly sighs in relief and begins to follow Munchlax as it leads them out of the restaurant. Monferno's the closest to Munchlax, trailing after the Pokemon with an eager expression on his face. Munchlax leads them a fair way out from the restaurant, and for a moment Casey's skeptical that the Pokemon is actually leading them the right way, but then they find their target and her doubts go away in an instant.

"Hold it right there!" Ash yells at the culprits.

To the surprise of, well, no one, they find Team Rocket huddled around a massive pile of stolen food from the restaurant, greedily stuffing their faces with the produce. They notice their presence, and that's when they frantically scramble to eat as much of the food as they can before anyone can stop them.

"You crooks never change!" May yells, making them stop, "Haven't you clowns learnt anything at all, huh?"

The crooks share a familiar glance, and Casey finds herself groaning despite herself when she realises what's about to come. It happens _every single time_.

"Is that the sound of an obsolete twerp I hear?" Jessie proclaims, jumping to her feet and moving her hand up to cup her ear in a mocking pose.

"Your expiration dates passed, my dear." James chimes in, him to jumping to his feet.

Meowth jumps up to, seemingly preparing to join in with their frustratingly annoying motto too, but it seems that Casey's not the only one whose fed up of it already. Monferno jumps out in front of the group, lurching his head back before lunging it forward and firing an explosive ray of fire directly at Team Rocket. The fiery attack hits them directly, the force sending them barrelling into the air at breakneck speed.

"Pikachu's the one who's supposed to do that!" Meowth wails.

"We're blasting off again!" Team Rocket cries as they vanish into the distance.

Everyone stands there, stunned by Monferno's sudden spring into action, but Casey's not. She chuckles to herself, kneeling down at Monferno's side and placing a hand on his shoulder, making him tear his angry eyes away from the sky and over to her. His face softens, though it's clear that he's still agitated for another reason.

"Don't worry, pal. We'll get you some food." She says, smiling.

* * *

Casey smiles wistfully as she watches the waters of Lake Valor glisten in the moonlight. It's a sight that she's familiar with, and one that she's greatly missed. She remembers vividly what her Grandfather told her when they both stood in the exact same spot that she's in right now years prior.

 _Appreciate the view, Casey. Sometimes we take for granted things that are so close to us._

She didn't understand it then, and her understanding of it now is still a bit askew, but the sentiment was enough to make her appreciate the simple things a lot more from then on out.

She's alone on the lakeside. It's late, and she suspects that all of her Pokemon are asleep within their capsules right now. After all, they did all have a massive lunch, and she knows that the only thing she ever wants to do after a big meal is sleep. Besides, she doesn't want any of them worrying about her.

She politely excused herself from her friends once they got settled into their hotel room, which itself isn't too far away from the lakefront, simply because since arriving at Lake Valor she's been hit with a sudden feeling of homesickness and she hasn't had much of a chance to give it much thought. She didn't want to get all mopey around them and make them worry.

It's ridiculous, really. She's so close to home now that the homesickness shouldn't really be hitting her how it is. Sure, she's been homesick before, but those times she was either on the other side of the region or in a whole other region entirely.

"I thought you'd be out here." Brock says, and she jumps slightly in surprise when he appears at her side rather suddenly.

"Hey, Brock." She replies after taking a brief moment to collect herself, "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm here to see if you're okay."

"Me?" Casey asks, surprised.

"You don't often go off on your own, and when you do it's to train. When I realised you weren't going off to train, I figured something must be wrong." Brock explains, and the genuine concern in his voice hits her with an overwhelming appreciation for him as a friend, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just...I don't know. Being back here reminds how much I miss my Grandfather, you know? We used to travel here for a short break a couple of times a year, and it kinda feels weird to be here without him."

She finally talks about how she's feeling, and it's as if a gargantuan weight's been lifted off of her shoulders as soon as she finishes her explanation. Sure, she's talked briefly about it with her Pokemon, but she's always stopped herself before they get too worried. With her friends, with Brock, it's different.

"Your Grandfather's really important to you, isn't he?" He asks after a moment of deep thought, clearly considering her heartfelt words with meticulous care.

She shrugs, no hesitation in her voice, "Of course. I mean, he raised me. Made me the person that I am."

A moment passes, and then Brock admits something that Casey didn't see coming one back.

"I miss my family too sometimes."

"You do?" She asks, stunned. Brock always seems to be so well put together. She hadn't even considered the idea of him feeling homesick. Perhaps Ash and Dawn, but not necessarily Brock.

"Of course. I'm always wondering what's going on back home, how my siblings are doing, how the Gym's doing; all of it." Brock explains, and he seems to get lost in his thoughts for a moment, a content but sad smile coming to his face as he looks at onto the lakefront.

Casey notices, and without even realising it she reaches out and places a comforting hand on his shoulder. It's like a reassurance. Reminding him that he's not alone. Because he's not, and as long as they're friends, Casey's adamant that him - or Ash and Dawn, for that matter - are never going through anything alone.

And she knows by the way Brock turns to her and smiles that she'll never be alone either.


	27. Competing in Cups

_"Of course. I'm always wondering what's going on back home, how my siblings are doing, how the Gym's doing; all of it." Brock explains, and he seems to get lost in his thoughts for a moment, a content but sad smile coming to his face as he looks at onto the lakefront._

 _Casey notices, and without even realising it she reaches out and places a comforting hand on his shoulder. It's like a reassurance. Reminding him that he's not alone. Because he's not, and as long as they're friends, Casey's adamant that him - or Ash and Dawn, for that matter - are never going through anything alone._

 _And she knows by the way Brock turns to her and smiles that she'll never be alone either."Morning, Dawn. How are you feeling?"_

* * *

 **Valor Lakefront - Sinnoh**

Casey steps onto the balcony of her shared hotel room with May and Dawn as the sun is barely rising. She slept fairly well the previous night, but once she woke up she struggled greatly to fall back asleep, her thoughts far too preoccupied to even consider getting anymore rest. Besides, she feels as if she's had enough sleep, so there's no need for her to get anymore.

She chose to leave her Pokeballs on her bed because she's certain that her Pokemon will still be asleep, and she's hoping to keep them that way for as long as possible. Dragonair's going to need plenty of rest for today, and she's certain that the Dragon Pokemon won't be able to settle down once she's finally awake. Might as well rest as much as she can now.

Of course, when she first got out of her comfy bed to make her way onto the balcony, she opted to be as quiet as possible, certain that both May and Dawn were still sound asleep. She didn't have much chance to look around her surroundings, which is why she's so caught off guard when she discovers that she's not the only one on the balcony this morning.

"Hey, Dawn." She says, closing the door quietly behind her and taking a seat at the bluenette's side, who seems surprised by her arrival.

"Oh, hi, Casey." She replies simply, and it's clear from the tone of her voice that something's amiss.

Casey knows what's getting to her friend. She doesn't even have to ask.

"Don't be nervous about today."

"I've been trying for ages!" Dawn exclaims, her sudden distress catching Casey off guard, "I'm terrified!"

"Why are you terrified?" Casey asks, calmly.

"What if I make a mistake? What if I tell one of my Pokemon to use the wrong move and it all goes wrong? What if my outfit goes al-?" Dawn rambles, and it's clear that the bluenette's becoming so lost in her own doubts and fears that Casey's gonna have to snap her out of it.

"Dawn! Dawn, relax!" Casey tells her, her hand coming up to the bluenette's shoulder and gripping it gently in an act of reassurance. She continues calmly when her cries cease, "Everything you just said is simply circumstantial and, if I'm honest, rather unlikely."

"You think?"

"Of course! I know you, and I know that even if one of those things does happen, you'll bounce back from it ten times stronger." Casey replies honestly, and she can tell that despite considering her words, Dawn's still doubting herself.

Dawn sighs, and what she says next more angers Casey than surprises her, "I just...I don't have a chance at winning this Contest."

"Of course you do, Dawn! You have just as much of a chance as everyone else!" Casey says, voice passionate. She wants Dawn to stop doubting herself, but she knows that it's not as simple as telling her to believe in herself.

Thankfully, it seems that her words have managed to get through to the bluenette, as she turns to her with hopeful eyes and a slight smile.

"You really think so?"

Casey smiles, "I know so."

Dawn nods, murmuring a thank you for Casey's support before turning towards the horizon as the sun begins to rise. The two girls slip into a comfortable silence, contently watching the sun rise together and temporarily forgetting about the challenges that lay ahead of them for a moment.

"I meant to ask yesterday, but do you want to borrow one of my outfits for the Wallace Cup?" Dawn asks, breaking the comfortable silence with a simple question.

"That'd be great. Thanks, Dawn."

Dawn smiles, "What are friends for?"

* * *

"What a phenomenal performance! Dawn and Ambipom make an excellent Contest team!" Marian declares as Dawn and Ambipom wrap up their first round performance.

Casey stands backstage, Dragonair by her side and her friends watching the screen from the other side of the room. Dragonair's kept surprisingly calm throughout most of the day, but Casey's remained vigilant by her side the entire time, ready to jump in and attempt to calm her down at a moment's notice.

Casey herself has felt her own nerves build as the day's progressed. She knows that it's because Pokemon Contests are uncharted territory for her. They aren't the same as Gym Battles, and she knows that watching people competing in them is far different to actually competing in them for yourself.

Dragonair, as if sensing her slight distress, nuzzles her head into the side of Casey's hand affectionately, cooing softly in an attempt to get her attention. Casey looks down at the Dragon Pokemon, a smile automatically coming to her face when she sees Dragonair looking at her with such care and interest.

"You okay, Dragonair?"

Dragonair pulls back, giving her a look that makes her laugh in an instant despite her nerves. To put it into words, it's a 'seriously' kind of look.

"Yeah, I know. But if you're okay, then I'm okay." Casey replies, because even though she's nervous, she's certain that if Dragonair's okay with all of this, then she can and will be too, "So, are you okay?"

"Onto the stage, please welcome our final entrant!"

 _Of course they had to call us up now!_

"Casey, you're up." Zoey says, breaking away from the group and walking over to her and Dragonair, "You ready?"

She's not the closest with Zoey, but her presence right now is actually quite reassuring. It reminds her why she's here.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She murmurs back, turning to Dragonair, "Ready to go?"

Dragonair nods, turning and beginning to head for the entrance tunnel to the stage with enthusiasm. Zoey and the others wish Casey good luck, and she thanks them before heading off after Dragonair. The two of them walk out side by side, passing Dawn and Ambipom on the way, both smiling widely.

"You were great, you two." Casey says, smiling.

"Thanks, Casey." Dawn replies, "Good luck, you two."

Both Dragonair and Ambipom converse as they pass just as their trainers did, and then before she knows it, Casey's walking out onto the contest stage along with Dragonair. The roaring crowds initially surprise her, but she's quick to compose herself when she sees how excited yet calm Dragonair's behaving.

 _Come on, Casey. You can do this._

"Give it up for Casey from Pastoria City, and Dragonair!"

She rushes towards the main pool of the stage, waving and smiling brightly at the crowd in greeting just as all the trainers before her have.

 _It's just like competing in the Pokemon League. It's the exact same atmosphere._

She pauses at the edge of the pool, taking a deep breath in an act of composure before springing into action.

"Alright, Dragonair! Jump right into the water!" Dragonair obeys, launching herself gracefully into the air and slipping into the water with ease.

"Now, use Draco Meteor!"

Dragonair shoots an orb of light high up into the sky above the pool, showering the stage in gorgeous glowing orbs. Dragonair's been working on making them look prettier specifically for the contest. As they rain down on the pool, Dragonair expertly weaves in between them all, circling the pool with skill, elegance and grace all at once.

"Wow! What an excellent way to show off Dragonair's agility and power!" Marian praises as the crowd roars in delight.

"Now, Dragonair, jump up and use Aqua Tail on the water!" Casey commands once the meteors cease their assault on the stage.

Dragonair leaps up into the air as requested, water droplets springing up with her and glistening in the strong sunlight as her tail begins to glow brightly. She brings it down onto the water, the force generating a great spiralled gap in the pool that looks beyond stunning. The audience watches in awe as the ripple continues to the very end of the pool, the force ending with a powerful wave colliding with the edge of the pool.

Dragonair, with exceptional timing, lands in front of Casey just as the ripple comes to an end, striking a dazzling final pose as the crowd cheers loudly for her performance.

"An excellent performance to end an excellent first stage here at the Wallace Cup!" Marian declares over the noise of the still roaring crowd, "Give it up for Casey and Dragonair!"

The crowd cheers wildly once more, and Casey waves goodbye to them all as she and Dragonair rush off of the stage and into the tunnel once again. She pauses once they're out of sight, turning to Dragonair with a smile so wide that it hurts her face to hold it there.

"You did it, Dragonair! I'm so proud of you!" She cheers, kneeling down to hug the Dragon Pokemon and not even caring that she's still soaking wet from just swimming around in the pool.

Dragonair nuzzles into her embrace excitedly, and the two remain there for a while until Casey decides that they should probably head backstage to await the results. She almost forgets about the next round for a moment, her pride for Dragonair overriding all other thoughts that may be in her mind.

The two of them make their way backstage, where they are greeted by the eager and excited voices of their friends. Dawn reaches them first, wrapping Casey in a strong hug the moment she gets to her.

"You two were amazing!" She praises as she pulls back, smiling brightly.

"She's right." Zoey adds as she and the others walk up behind Dawn, "What you two did with that Draco Meteor was super cool! I've never seen anything like it!"

"And what you did with that Aqua Tail! That was gorgeous!" May remarks, eyes glistening in awe.

Casey stands there, murmuring 'thank you's' to each of their appraisals as she struggles not to feel overwhelmed. Even Dragonair, who usually loves to be praised, shrinks back behind her legs slightly as the girls continue to rant on, clearly just as overwhelmed as her trainer.

Thankfully, Brock seems to notice their reactions, as the calm and composed boy steps in to take control of the situation.

"Now, now, girls. Let's give the two of them a minute to breath, okay?" He suggests kindly.

The girls shrink back, May and Dawn both flushing red in embarrassment and Zoey looking slightly less energetic than before.

"It's okay, guys. It's just a lot to take in." Casey says quickly, noticing their expressions, "Thank you. All of you. Dragonair and I really appreciate it."

"You guys really were great." Ash adds simply, brandishing a confident fist, "You two will get through to the next round for sure!"

"Sorry to have kept you all waiting. The judges have made their decision." Marian says, everyone's eyes going to the TV screen as her face pops up.

Casey doesn't have to look to know that Dragonair's eyes are doing the same.

"The Coordinators moving onto the second stage tomorrow are..."

The pictures begin to pop up onto the screen one by one, everyone in the room waiting anxiously and hoping that their face appears alongside the others.

"The lucky sixteen you see here!"

She sees Zoey's face, and Ash's, and May's, and to her delight, even Dawn's. But not her own.

She scans the screen more than once before coming to the conclusion that her own face isn't up there alongside her friends.

She sighs in defeat, turning towards her friends and smiling proudly at them all. She can see the crestfallen expressions form on their faces when they realise that she's not moving on as they are, but she's quick to reassure them.

"Don't worry about it, you guys." She says, smiling, "Look on the bright side. You're all moving on to the next round."

She's less disappointed for herself and more disappointed for Dragonair if anything. Sure, she would've liked to have got through to the next round, but it's not as important for her as it is for the Dragon Pokemon. She only entered the contest for her, after all.

She turns towards Dragonair, kneeling down by her side and catching her eye, frowning slightly when she sees the upset glimmer within them.

"Hey, don't be upset. You were great out there, okay?" She soothes, moving a hand up to her head and stroking it affectionately, "I'm proud of you, Dragonair. Really, I am."

"Yeah, you were awesome!" Ash chimes in, his eyes turning to Buizel, whose stood by his side, "Weren't they, Buizel?"

"Bui! Bui!"

Ash and Buizel's approval seems to snap Dragonair out of her sadness, as the Dragon Pokemon looks up at the rest of the group and lets out an enthusiastic cry that brings a smile to all of their faces. Casey turns to Ash, mouthing a silent 'thank you' to him in appreciation.

They may have not got as far as they might have wanted to, but Casey's still beyond proud and glad that they gave it a go.


	28. Seeing Startling Things

_"Yeah, you were awesome!" Ash chimes in, his eyes turning to Buizel, whose stood by his side, "Weren't they, Buizel?"_

 _"Bui! Bui!"_

 _Ash and Buizel's approval seems to snap Dragonair out of her sadness, as the Dragon Pokemon looks up at the rest of the group and lets out an enthusiastic cry that brings a smile to all of their faces. Casey turns to Ash, mouthing a silent 'thank you' to him in appreciation._

 _They may have not got as far as they might have wanted to, but Casey's still beyond proud and glad that they gave it a go._

* * *

 **Valor Lakefront - Sinnoh**

It's a calm and chilled evening on the Valor Lakefront. Casey leans back against the headboard of her bed, sighing contently as she watches Monferno eat a batch of Poffins along with Piplup, Buneary, Ambipom and Munchlax. She's been listening to Dawn, May and Zoey talk about Pokemon Contests for a while now. It's fascinating to hear about Contests, and it's something that she didn't really appreciate before competing in one herself.

Not getting through to the next round was kind of an eye opener for her. It's made her realise that she can't just head from challenge to challenge with the expectation that she'll win. It's grounding.

"So, May, please tell me: what are Johto Contests like anyway?" Dawn asks, voice teeming with enthusiasm and interest.

Casey's noticed that since May, and even Zoey, have arrived. It's the same way she reacts when she's around Cynthia or even a Gym Leader. It's adoration and respect and honor all rolled into one.

However, before May can even begin to answer Dawn's question, a loud thud sounding off from nearby interrupts her. It sounds like it's coming from Ash and Brock's room.

Casey springs up off of the bed, locking eyes with Monferno in an instant. He nods, and she takes that as all the confirmation she needs to make her way towards the source of the sudden noise. Dawn and the others follow close behind her and Monferno. They burst through the door to Ash and Brock's room, both ready to fight off anything that may lay inside, but they're all surprised to find no threat within the room.

Instead they find Ash, lying haphazardly on the floor instead of within his own bed.

"Ash, you do have a bed you know?" Brock says from his seat at the side of the room, clearly bemused.

"I know. I was dreaming I was in the middle of a really tough battle." Ash says as he sits up, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I know the feeling." Casey says, wincing slightly at the memory of all the times she tumbled out of bed through re-enacting her dreams a little too literally, "Whenever I have that kind of dream, I always try and clear my head."

"That's a good idea! I'm gonna go for a walk." Ash decides, getting up and putting his jacket and shoes on to out in.

He heads out of the room, Pikachu following in tow, and the girls wait a few moments before beginning to make their way back to their room.

"You coming, Casey?" Dawn asks, turning back to her from the door.

She considers going back, but then she knows that Brock will be on his own for a while, and he's going to have to deal with all the mess that Ash left behind, which doesn't seem particularly fair considering that he made them all a delicious dinner earlier on.

"I'm gonna stay here and clean up the room." Casey replies, chuckling, "Ash left it in a right state."

Dawn nods, and then she turns and follows May and Zoey back to their room. Once she's gone, Casey turns to where Monferno was stood, surprised to find him already at Brock's side, peering over his shoulder to get a look at the book he's reading.

She smiles to herself, leaving him be as she begins to clean up all the mess that Ash made. She makes up the bed, picking up the pillows that Ash must've thrown on the floor during his dream, and it's not long until the bed looks as if it hasn't even been slept in.

Casey sits back down on the bed, and she's content with sitting there and relaxing as she did before in her own room, and a few minutes before the comfortable silence of the room is interrupted by Ash bursting back into the room, Pikachu following closely behind.

"Brock! Casey!" He exclaims, eyes wide and frantic, "In Lake Valor, it was shining! It was spinning! Then all of a sudden, whoosh!"

Casey looks to Monferno, who looks just as confused as herself and Brock, before looking at Brock. The two of them briefly make eye contact, both of them concerned, prompting Brock into attempting to calm Ash down.

"Slow down. I don't have a clue what you just said." He says calmly.

"Ash, slow it down and go from the start, okay?" Casey suggests, getting up from the bed and walking over to the distressed boy.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asks, walking into the room with Piplup held securely in her arms. May and Dawn follow in after her, both looking just as concerned as the bluenette at the sight of Ash.

"The thing! In Lake Valor! It was glowing, and then, whoosh! It disappeared! I've got no idea what it was!" Ash rambles, and Casey watches as Dawn and Piplup both look at each other in a similar to how she and Monferno look at one another.

Dawn gives him a nod, and then Piplup's turning towards Ash and firing an array of bubbles right at his face, much to the surprise of everyone else.

"Okay, now it's your turn to wake up!" She chuckles as Ash frantically blinks the water out of his eyes.

"Okay, I'm fine! No more!" He cries, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Look, why don't we all just sit down and talk this through, okay? Maybe that way you can give more thought to what you saw." Casey suggests logically, and she knows that Monferno's on board with the idea when he jumps up onto the bed and takes a seat.

Everyone agrees with her idea, taking a seat either on a bed or opting to stand at the side. Ash gets particularly comfortable, even going as far as taking his shoes off as he and Pikachu take a seat on the bed next to Casey and Monferno.

"Let's see. You say you saw some kind of strange light in Lake Valor, is that right?" Brock asks once everyone's settled.

"Yeah, but it's like the light was alive or something." Ash replies, seemingly in deep thought about what he saw. He turns to Pikachu, "What did you think, Pikachu?"

Pikachu, though not as frantic as his trainer, still seems slightly less enthusiastic than usual. Whatever they saw must've affected him too.

"The same thing happened to me." Dawn says, surprising everyone, "Yeah, I thought I told you about it. It happened on the first day I met Piplup. I was at Lake Verity and saw a strange shadow. Professor Rowan's always said that there was a legendary Pokemon living in Lake Verity. Sounds to me like you and me had the same kind of experience."

"Pikachu, do you think we saw a legendary Pokemon?" Ash asks, looking back to Pikachu after considering Dawn's words for a moment.

"Pika pika."

"Hey, that reminds me. We heard a story like that when we were in Snowpoint City." May chimes in, "Right around that area, there's a lake that's called Lake Acuity, and there are all these rumors saying that a mysterious Pokemon lives there."

"Another lake, huh?"

"Well, I know what May's telling us is the truth. You see, I'm from Snowpoint City, and I used to hear those stories when I was young." Zoey explains, everybody fascinated to learn where Zoey's from.

Casey's never been up to Snowpoint City herself. Apparently her Grandfather said it was because he'd never be able to deal with the cold. It's a miracle he deals with the weather in Pastoria. Even for being one of the hotter areas in Sinnoh, it's still not exactly a tropical paradise.

All of this talking about the importance of the Sinnoh Lakes jogs Casey's memory rather suddenly, and she has what she'd refer to as a 'Eureka' moment.

"Now that you mention it, I feel like my Grandfather talked a bit about Lake Valor when I was young." She admits, "I don't think he ever mentioned a legendary Pokemon, but he always talked about how special the lake is. Perhaps that's the reason why he did that."

Her Grandfather, though not the most knowledgeable in regards to the Sinnoh legends, didn't fail to tell her what he knew here and there. Then again, she's learnt so much from him that it's kinda hard to keep track of it all. He probably did tell her at some point and it's just that she can't remember.

"But suppose they are legendary Pokemon, all these sightings and stories might have something to do with the Sinnoh space-time legend." Brock muses.

It's silent, everyone clearly considering the conversation that's just taken place, and then the silence is interrupted - at least for Casey - when a sudden familiar jolt of painful energy surges through her. She scrunches her eyes shut, and when she opens them she's shrouded in darkness.

 _"Dialga and Palkia, the time has come! Now, reveal yourselves!"_

 _She can't see a thing, but she can hear. There's an unfamiliar voice, but even if she did recognise it, she wouldn't be able to understand what it's saying. It just sounds muffled. It almost doesn't sound human; she knows that she can hear rage laced amongst the voice. That's what she knows for certain._

 _She wishes she could see where she is. She wants to know what's going on. The darkness seems_ _never-ending, as if it stretches all the way to the end of the universe. That thought is absolutely terrifying, but it's nowhere near as terrifying as what she sees when the space around here is suddenly illuminated._

 _Two Pokemon, no, two shadows are before her, some kind of red malice surrounding each of them individually. The two shadows are letting out ferocious roars, the very sound of which are ear-splittingly loud. The shadows don't want to be here. Somebody's made them appear._

 _The shadows begin to materialise, and as they do Casey realises exactly what they are. It's Dialga, the Ruler of Time, and Palkia, the Ruler of Space. They're supposed to be mere legends, but here they are before her. How is that even possible?_

 _A sudden intense pain hits her like a ton of bricks. She screams in agony as her entire body burns. It's the worst thing she's ever felt, yet she's not entirely sure if its real. Pain so intense cannot possibly be real. It's too unbearable to comprehend._

 _She needs it to stop! Someone needs to make it stop!_

And then her eyes are snapping open again (which makes her wonder if they even opened before), and she's wincing through the pain and distress as five sets of concerned eyes look back at her (eight if you're counting Pikachu, Piplup and Monferno).

"Casey, what happened?" Dawn asks, hesitantly reaching out to place a hand on Casey's shoulder in what she guesses is an act of reassurance.

She flinches back instantly, standing up from the bed and insisting that she's fine. Because of course she is. She may have had experiences like this before, but she's still fine. She's got everything under control. She can deal with this.

She begins to make her way towards the door, because she knows that if she can get out of here and calm herself down she'll be just fine. If she's on her own she can forget about what she saw. She can move past it.

But then she feels someone touch her arm, and it sets her over the crumbling edge.

"GET OFF!" She screams, turning around and shoving off whoever it is.

Except she hadn't been expecting it to be Zoey of all people.

The Coordinator's eyes shine with hurt, and the pure guilt that burns in the pit of Casey's stomach at the sight of her face is immeasurable. She can't bring herself to look at the others, and for that reason she chooses to take off instead without looking back.

She rushes through the hotel, bursting outside into the cool nighttime air all alone. She would take Dragonair out of her Pokeball and fly away instead of running, but she left her Pokeballs in her room and she's not about to go back and grab them.

She doesn't even intend on going back.

Only, that's stupid. And irrational. And nonsensical. And any other negative adjective she can possibly think of to describe the situation.

At least she kept her shoes and clothes on. Thankfully she hadn't chosen to get ready for bed yet like most of the others had. She's certain that she wouldn't be able to fair long in this cold air in just her pj's and potentially some slippers to go with them.

She keeps running. Running until she's breathless and practically kneeling over in exhaustion, but she doesn't care.

She doesn't care because her head's going at one hundred miles an hour and she feels as if she's going to burst into tears at a moments notice.

That can't happen. Because if she starts to cry her friends are gonna keep asking questions, and they still don't know that she's seen more disturbing visions in the past, and she doesn't want them to know even if Cynthia's told her that she should talk to them about it.

"Mon!"

She stands up straight, steeling herself but not turning around because she knows if she does she may break down.

"Go away, Monferno." She says coldly.

She's not surprised. She had expected him to follow her. She just wishes that he hadn't.

"Mon-ferno!"

She sighs frustratedly. She had expected him to stay.

"I mean it! Go!" She snaps, turning around to face him with nothing but rage.

What she hadn't expected was for him to match her rage.

Sure, Monferno has his moments when he gets mad (like everyone else on the planet, of course), but he's never looked as angry as he does right now. She's seen perhaps Electabuzz this angry, but not Monferno.

"Monferno! Mon! Mon!" He screeches, fists flailing angrily at his side as each syllable punctuates her ears.

It's almost terrifying to witness.

But it's also enraging.

"What do you want me to say, huh?! I don't know what's wrong with me!" She yells, the anger that she's struggled to keep bay lashing out in its full force.

She's beyond angry, because what right does he have to be mad at her? If she had stayed, she would've only gotten angry and snappy towards everyone. You'd think he'd appreciate her keeping her distance when she feels like she does.

"I feel like a ticking time bomb and there's no one around who can diffuse it! I feel-!"

He lurches his head back and releases a roaring flame right for her, and her shouting is long forgotten as she barely manages to dodge his sudden and unexpected attack.

"Hey!"

He fires again. And again. And again.

Blisteringly hot rays of fire surge towards her time and time again, all of which she only narrowly avoids. Combine her dodging attempts with her pre-exhaustion from all the running, it's not long until she's gasping for her.

"Monferno! Monferno, stop it!" She gasps out just before one of the Flamethrower's actually makes contact.

It hits her right in the chest, making her front sear in pain and then her back does the same shortly afterwards when she lands flat against the grass. She feels the wind get knocked out of her when she hits the floor, and she lays there gasping for air frantically as Monferno runs to her side.

"Mon."

She sits up after a moment, wincing at the sudden movement, and she turns to her partner, her rage slightly subdued but still present.

"Why did you do that?" She asks, and it comes off as less of a shout or demand and more like a plea if anything.

"Ferno. Mon-ferno. Mon."

She understands him in a second. Even if he's not speaking her language, she knows Monferno. It may have taken her getting knocked over to realise it, but she gets it from looking closely enough at the torn expression on his face.

And that's when the guilt kicks in.

 _I should've talked to him. I should've told him the first time._

She begins to sob uncontrollably all of a sudden, all of the emotions that were hidden beneath her thick layer of rage finally coming to the surface. Everything comes apart, and her head's spinning from the tears and the thoughts spinning around at breakneck speed in her head. She feels like everything's breaking.

And then she feels Monferno nestle his head underneath her arm, lifting it up from her side and looping it around himself. His other arm wraps around her waist, anchoring her to something other than the pure anguish she's feeling.

He's holding her together, like he always does when she feels truly lost.

She knows she has to go back and apologise, but for now all she can think about is how she feels and how she's not alone.

"I'm sorry, Monferno. I'm so sorry." She whispers relentlessly, silently willing all the dark thoughts out of her mind in that moment.

* * *

She apologised to Zoey first. It was awkward, and she's certain that if Monferno wasn't there, she wouldn't have managed to do it. He's her reassurance.

Zoey accepted her apology without hesitation, and she thankfully didn't ask her anything else on the matter. She checked that she was okay, and Casey half lied by saying that she was, but Zoey still thankfully accepted it.

She spoke to her Pokemon after that. The others weren't around for that conversation, of course, because if they were she would've left out the part about her visions.

She spoke to May after that. She had apologised for acting up during her visit to Sinnoh, but then May told her that she was being silly and she didn't mind what happened one bit.

She had told Ash, Brock and Dawn that she didn't know what happened, which of course is a lie but she's still not ready to tell them the truth. They hadn't asked her anything else then, but she's expecting them to soon. Then again, they've always respected her boundaries as she has done for them. It's how their group dynamic works.

They're heading out for the Wallace Cup soon. Everyone's getting ready upstairs, and Brock's helping them all with that. Casey herself offered to help, but everyone said they were just fine. Dawn seemed a tad bit nervous, but both Zoey and May swooped in to help ease her nerves in an instant.

So that's when Casey decided to head downstairs to the main lobby, specifically to the videophones in the corner.

She's got a very specific person that she wants to call.

When she reaches an empty videophone, she murmurs each number as she types it into the dial pad. She wrote it down on a slip of paper, but she chose to commit it to memory in case she ever lost the paper.

She still hasn't lost it, but she'd rather be safe than sorry.

Cynthia had given her a number to contact after she called her a while back, and she was certain that she wouldn't end up using it. The last thing she wanted was to bother the Champion.

But given what appeared in her vision, she feels like it's her duty to tell Cynthia about it.

It begins to place the call and she waits anxiously for it to go through, tapping her foot against the tiled ground in anticipation.

She doesn't get her answer like she had hoped, though. Instead, she's greeted by the computerised voice of the answer machine.

"You have reached Cynthia's answer phone. Please leave a message after the tone." The robotic voice beeps, a loud tone following quickly afterwards.

"Um, hi, Cynthia. I-it's Casey. Casey Montgomery. I'm sorry to be calling you, but I just...I needed to tell you about what I saw." She begins to ramble, and she's stumbling over her words frantically as she does so, desperately trying to find a place to begin.

She takes a deep breath, finding her composure before continuing in a far calmer and even voice.

"I had another vision. It was darker than the last one. I couldn't really see anything, and there was this muffled voice that I couldn't really understand but...I saw Dialga and Palkia. They were _there_ , and they were suffering."

She half expects someone to reply, but of course that's nonsense.

"I know there's not much you can do...unless there is and I'm just being stupid and-." She sighs, "I just had to tell you. Sorry for calling."

She ends the call then, not fully content but still slightly better knowing that there's at least a chance Cynthia might get her message and know what she saw.

She knows that this isn't the end, that she may have even more frightening visions in the future, but right now that's not her priority.

Her priority is going to cheer her friends on in the Wallace Cup.


	29. Challenging Old Rivals

_She ends the call then, not fully content but still slightly better knowing that there's at least a chance Cynthia might get her message and know what she saw._

 _She knows that this isn't the end, that she may have even more frightening visions in the future, but right now that's not her priority._

 _Her priority is going to cheer her friends on in the Wallace Cup._

* * *

 **Valor Lakefront - Sinnoh**

A day's passed since the climatic end to the Wallace Cup. Casey watched proudly along with Brock, Ash, Zoey and their Pokemon as May and Dawn battled it out in the final, with the latter ultimately becoming the victor. May took her loss like a champ, congratulating Dawn for her skill in battle and thanking her for such a fun one at that.

Casey's happy knowing that her success in the Cup has given Dawn a massive and much needed confidence boost. Sure, she had Casey and all the others backing her up, but actually winning a Contest has done leaps and bounds for restoring her fractured confidence.

May was actually going to travel home last night right after the Contest, but due to complications with the ferry company, she's instead getting the first boat out this evening. She looked at the situation in a positive light, remarking last night that they could spend the day shopping without the hassle of the masses of crowds. Most people left yesterday, so the shops and restaurants should be far quieter today.

The girls extended their shopping trip out to Casey, but she chose to pass when Shellos - who had been eating her breakfast nearby at the time - came bounding over and began acting out exactly what she wanted to do for the day - that being training. Shellos has been really pushing her training as of late (more so than Casey's other Pokemon, even), so Casey figured that she might as well support that considering that they're not far out from their next Gym Battle.

Sure, she knows how Pastoria's Gym Leader battles (she's been watching him do so at public events since she was little), but you can never be fully prepared for an upcoming Gym Battle.

Ash opted to go off and do his own private training for the day, something that he doesn't do often but he still does. They all respected his wishes, and Brock even packed him and his Pokemon lunches to take with them.

Brock had suggested that the two of them get outside considering how nice the weather is, so they decided to head to a local park to get some fresh air.

It's midday now, and whilst Brock makes up some lunch for the two of them and their Pokemon, Casey's doing some training with her Pokemon.

"Alright, Shellos! Let's try it again, yeah?" She calls to the Shell Pokemon, who nods in confirmation in response.

She turns to Electabuzz, who's stood directly opposite Shellos, and he nods too without question. She shouldn't be surprised. Electabuzz is always ready to go.

"Okay, Electabuzz! Just as we've been practicing!"

He buzzes hack, and then he's thrusting his fist up into the air and charging it with strong electrical energy.

"Shellos, go now!"

Shellos jumps up into the air, firing a myriad of Mud Bombs at the ground beneath her. She lands on top of it, and it acts as a thick barrier between herself and the ground. So, as Electabuzz brings his fist down on the ground, sending an immense electrical current surging towards her, the muddy layer beneath her nullifies its effects.

"Well done you guys! You were both awesome!" Casey praises, both of them holding their heads high.

"That's an interesting strategy, Casey." Brock remarks.

She turns towards him, "One of Shellos' greatest weaknesses is water. Until she evolves, I figured we needed a counter to it. It needs some tweaking, but it's working pretty well right now."

"Looks like it." Brock replies, and then he's suddenly looking over her shoulder at something with furrowed eyes.

She turns when she notices her expression, surprised at the sight of a familiar face approaching.

"Paul?"

He doesn't say anything, his eyes going down to look at her Pokemon. Shellos shies away, and Casey's hardly ready to catch her when she comes jumping up into her arms, but Electabuzz just stares right back at him.

That's Electabuzz, alright. Unwavering confidence to a fault.

"I'm sorry, but Ash isn't here. I'm sure that we could go and try to find him if you-." Brock begins to say, but then Paul actually speaks up by cutting over him simply.

"I'm not here for _him_."

The way he refers to Ash sends a chill up Casey's spine. His voice is teeming with...loathing? No, it's not quite that strong, but something foul is certainly there.

"You're not?" Brock asks, surprised.

"I'm here to battle her."

He says it so coldly that Casey doesn't even think he's referring to her at first (even though it's not like he could be referring to anybody else right now), but then he's staring intently at her and she sees a familiar glint in his eyes. It's the same one she gets, as Ash gets, though his isn't as bright.

It's the look of someone who's ready to battle.

"You want to battle me? Why?" She asks, curious.

Sure, Paul comes off as the ambitious type, but coming all the way her just to battle her seems like a bit of a stretch, even for him. She's certain that he must have a good reason for it.

"A two on two battle. First to knock out the opponents two wins." He replies, completely disregarding her question.

 _Yeah, I should've expected him to ignore my question._

"Two on two?"

"Only two of my Pokemon are in desperate need of training at the minute. They've been slacking."

She tries not to scowl at the way he talks about his Pokemon, though it's proving to be an increasingly difficult task the more times she runs into him.

"How did you know we were here?" Brock asks and, in true Brock fashion, his tone isn't accusatory at all, rather calm and curious.

"I saw you in the Wallace Cup." Paul says, attention focused on her, "You're not the most challenging opponent based on that performance, but you'll have to do."

She's keeping calm despite his blatant rudeness, but Electabuzz holds no reservations in protesting his foul attitude. She feels electricity crackle at her side as he comes to stand by her, rage blazing in his eyes as he scowls up at Paul.

She knows that if she doesn't step in, Electabuzz won't hesitate in acting on his rage.

"Hey, it's okay." She says, turning towards Electabuzz and reaching out to place her hands on his shoulders, "Let me handle this, okay?"

He frowns, buzzing discontentedly, but he gives in when she sees the desperate look on his face. Electabuzz may be like a powder keg sometimes, but she's gotten better at calming him down the more she's had to do it.

She turns back to Paul when she's certain that he's under control, well, at least for now.

"Okay, you're on. Brock, can you referee for us?" She says, looking to her friend before the sight of Paul's smug face sets her own anger off.

Brock, as understanding as always, sees her anger, and offers her a reassuring smile.

"Of course. I was just finishing up with the food prep anyway." He says.

She nods as a silent 'thank you', and she goes to take her place at one end of the impromptu battlefield. Electabuzz joins her at her side whilst Shellos nestles even closer into her shoulder as Paul makes his way to the other side, standing their stoically whilst Brock heads to the side of the battlefield.

"The battle will be two on two. The battle will be over when both Pokemon on either side are unable to battle." He announces, and that's all the confirmation Paul needs to head right into the battle.

"Weavile, stand by for battle!" He declares, and the Sharp Claw materialises in front of Casey with a smug expression to match its trainers.

Of course, battling alongside Monferno would give her the direct and clear advantage here, but she can see the fire that's burning in Electabuzz's eyes as he stares down Paul and Weavile. Something tells her that a certain Electric-Type might not be too pleased if he has to watch someone else battle them.

"Electabuzz, you wanna take this one?" She asks, though it's not like there's any point in asking because she always knows his answer even before he nods in confirmation.

"So you have a Pokemon at your disposal with a clear advantage, and you don't choose to use it?" Paul scoffs, tone dismissive as Electabuzz turns to face him.

Casey can practically feel her blood boiling at the way he's talking about her Pokemon. About Monferno.

"Don't talk about Monferno like that. And he's not at my disposal. He's my friend." She bites back, and this time she doesn't care that the anger is shining through in her voice anymore.

"Hmph. Pathetic."

The way he brushes her off, talking about her and Pokemon as if they're nothing but the dirt beneath his feet is enough to prompt her into fighting back. And as she orders Electabuzz to attack, it's not just for the sake of the battle.

"Electabuzz, Thunder Punch! Let's go!" Electabuzz's fist crackles with electricity before being consumed in the vivid yellow light of roaring electricity.

"Dodge it." Weavile easily dodges Electabuzz as he rushes towards it, showing off its brilliant speed.

 _Wow, that Weavile's fast! I hate to admit it, but Paul's trained it well._

"Use Swords Dance." Weavile's claws glow a bright purple and elongate, and it begins to brandish them around in front of it wildly.

Casey knows what Swords Dance does. She's seen it before.

 _He's trying to power Weavile up, and with that speed it'll be able to dodge Electabuzz's attacks and just keep getting stronger. We've got to strike whilst we still can._

"Use Hammer Arm!"

"Intercept it with Metal Claw."

Both Pokemon surge towards each other, Electabuzz's arm glowing white whilst Weavile's claws glow just as brightly. Both attacks collide with equal force, cloaking the battlefield in a brief spell of blinding light that makes Casey flinch back and cover her eyes.

Nobody can act until the light dims, and when it does both trainers find their Pokemon both slightly weakened and back where they once stood.

 _They must've both been damaged upon impact._

The peaceful moment the battle had passes, and Casey's the first to spring back into the action.

"Quick Attack, let's go!" She shouts, and Electabuzz begins to rush towards Weavile so quickly that streams of white light follow him from behind.

"Stop it with Blizzard."

Electabuzz, being as determined as he is, keeps running even as the Blizzard rushes towards him, but he's forced to bail out of his attempt when the effects of the ice begin to take their toll. Thankfully, he gets out of the line of fire before the ice can freeze him, but the attack deals a substantial amount of damage before that point.

"Maybe if you fought with an actual strategy, you'd actually win a battle." Paul mocks, and though she's beyond angry at the arrogant trainer, his comment actually gives her an idea.

 _He couldn't do anything when he couldn't see. Weavile can't run away if it doesn't know where to go._

"Use Thunderbolt on the battlefield!"

Electabuzz, though clearly skeptical about her request, follows through with, directing his attack towards the ground instead of at his opponent. His move kicks up loads of dust on the field, which of course is exactly what she intended.

 _We've used this kind of strategy before. We know that it works._

"Now use Hammer Arm!" She orders, and Electabuzz rushes back towards Weavile as Paul stands there dazed, clearly surprised by her sudden use of strategical play.

She hears a cry that's not Electabuzz's, and then the Electric Pokemon is standing back in front of her again just as the dust settles, revealing the fate of Weavile.

"Weavile is unable to battle!" Brock declares formally, fulfilling his job as the referee to a tee.

Paul's face flushes with rage that he quickly rushes to cover up, and then he's returning Weavile to its Pokeball without even a word of thanks.

 _Typical Paul._

"Thanks a lot, Electabuzz. You were awesome." Casey praises, smiling proudly at her friend.

"Bzz! Bzz!" He replies, brandishing his fists in the air in victory and pride.

It's a victory that's short lived when Paul chooses to send out his next Pokemon, frustration shining through in his voice as he sends it out.

"Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" The Electric Pokemon appears before the other, and both seem to do a double take at the sight of each other.

"Electabuzz, use Thu-!" Paul begins, not remotely bothered that his Electabuzz is still slightly dazed, but then he's stopping as confusion strikes his face.

And then the weight of Shellos is suddenly ripped off of Casey's shoulder, and she's watching in horror as a mechanical hand pulls her Pokemon away from her and into a see-through cage up above.

"Shell!" She wails, and Casey swears that it's the most horrifying thing she's ever heard, and she feels her very heart clench at the sight of Team Rocket, laughing manically up in their balloon.

"It's Team Rocket!" Brock gasps, angrily turning towards the crooks.

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?"

"It's speaking to me loud and clear."

The villains begin to recite their motto, and all the while Casey feels her rage building to the boiling point. Watching Shellos squirm around in that box is making her feel physically sick, not only out of the anger that's making her head spin, but also because of the pure sinking feeling in her stomach at the thought of losing her.

 _How does Ash cope with this all the time? This happens to Pikachu all the time._

"What are you doing here? Give Shellos back!" She shouts, because she's not interested in hearing anymore of their ridiculous and unnecessary motto.

"Who are these bunch of rejects?" Paul asks, speaking up for the first time as Electabuzz buzzes at his side, and it's difficult to tell whether he's angry or just confused.

Probably both.

"Rejects! Why you little-!" Jessie screeches, arms flailing as James and Meowth struggle to hold her back from jumping out of the balloon and attacking Paul for his comment.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!" Casey orders whilst they're distracted, and Electabuzz obeys and aims a shocking bolt of lightning right at the cage, though it doesn't cause the desired effect.

"It did nothing!" Brock gasps, stunned.

"You twerps ain't generating enough force to break through that!" Meowth cackles, "Shellos ain't going nowhere anytime soon!"

"We would've preferred to be getting away with Pikachu, but this one will do." James says gleefully, sounding like a small child on Christmas morning.

It disgusts her.

It seems to do the same to Shellos, who - much to Casey's pride - begins to fire off Water Pulse after Water Pulse in an attempt to break down the cage. Even after hearing that she can't generate enough force to break it down, she's still trying. It's pure resilience, and it's absolutely awe inspiring to see - well, at least for Brock and Casey.

Little does either of them know, but even Paul and his Electabuzz are watching with something that's close to awe. It's not quite that, and their faces are stoic as they watch until Shellos is exhausted from all of their attempts, but it's something.

"A couple of bubbles ain't gonna do squat!" Meowth cackles, his comment setting himself and the rest of Team Rocket into fits of laughter.

Casey can feel her arms shaking even as Brock reaches out to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, anchoring her to something other than her pure rage and fear. She's looking right at Shellos, and she doesn't even care about the fact that Team Rocket are mocking her from their balloon. All she's focused on is Shellos, and all Shellos seems to be focused on is her.

Which is why it's so surprising when she's suddenly engulfed in a thick layer of bright light that morphs her body shape. She grows in size beneath the glow, and when it bursts away it reveals a whole new form entirely.

"No way! Shellos evolved!" Brock gasps out for her, because Casey's looking up in shock at her newly evolved Pokemon because she can't get any words out.

She can't believe that Shellos evolved.

She remains stood there, utter disbelief on her face, as murky water begins to spiral around her body, so much so that it engulfs the entire cage. A moment passes, and then the water's rushing out of the cage and rushing towards them instead.

"Get back!" Brock shouts, pulling her and Electabuzz out of the way just before they can be hit by anything.

Her Pokemon comes right out of the cage, being pushed along by the force of the murky water, and she lands in front of Casey as the last of the water flows away.

"What was that?"

"Muddy Water." Paul remarks, and Casey swears that he sounds surprised. Impressed, even.

She looks over at him for a second, and his and his Electabuzz's sights are set on the newly evolved Pokemon before them. Casey looks back to her, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her Pokedex.

 _"Gastrodon, the Sea Slug Pokémon and the evolved form of Shellos. Gastrodon inhabits the shallow tidal pools of the ocean, and its sturdy shell serves to protect its body."_

"Gastrodon, you wanna take this one?" She asks, pocketing the device and smirking confidently up at Team Rocket, who look rightfully terrified.

 _Oh, yeah. We've got you now._

"Gastro!" Gastrodon cries, aiming a gargantuan Muddy Water attack directly for their balloon. She targets the attack so that the murky liquid pierces holes all over the balloon, sending it catapulting high up into the sky, taking Team Rocket with it.

They fade off into the distance, just a mere speck on the skyline, and Gastrodon stands tall before them, crying out triumphantly.

"Great job, Gastrodon!" Casey praises, kneeling down by Gastrodon's side and instantly regretting it when the grass squelches beneath her knee, "I'm so proud of you!"

"That was amazing! I can't believe you evolved, Gastrodon!" Brock adds, and Gastrodon responds enthusiastically to their praise, so much so that she attempts to jump up onto Casey's shoulder, something that the trainer quickly rushes to prevent.

"No, no, no!" She rushes, gently pushing the Sea Slug Pokemon back and smiling apologetically, "I don't think you can get away with that anymore. Sorry, Gastrodon."

"Gastro..." Gastrodon grizzles, but it's soon long forgotten when she turns towards Electabuzz and begins playing around with him.

Well, she's playing around. He's just standing around as stoic as ever, but Casey can see the smile on his face. She watches the two of them fondly, so much so that she doesn't even notice as Paul returns Electabuzz to its Pokeball and begins to walk away.

"Hey, Paul. Where are you going?" Brock calls to him, because the Pokemon Breeder is observant enough to notice him slipping away.

Casey stands up, alert, "Don't you want to finish our battle?"

"No need. I've seen enough." Paul replies simply, not stopping.

She knows that Paul's cold, and standoffish, and impolite for the most part, but the way he's walking away right now gives off a different vibe to how he usually is. Perhaps if that vibe wasn't being given off, Casey wouldn't have stepped in and called out to him again.

"Why did you want to battle me? Really?"

It's a simple question, but it's enough to make him stop. He doesn't turn around, so it's kinda hard to hear his low voice, but she just about catches what he says.

"Because I want Cynthia to respect me as much as she respects you." He says, tone unreadable.

"What?"

He turns around now, and she figures out what that other vibe he was giving off was. It's anger and frustration. It's clear as day in his body language, his eyes, his tone. He's angry at her.

"You're pathetic but she still respects you! You're just as pathetic as he is, going on about love and trust and everything that's not important in a battle, but she still respects you!" He yells, and Casey can see out the corner of her eye that Electabuzz is beginning to move towards her defensively.

They make eye contact and she nods in a silent exchange.

 _I've got this._

And he reluctantly backs off.

"How do you know that, Paul?" She asks, looking back to the angry boy.

He waits for a moment, considering how to reply, before he does.

"The fact that you don't makes me question why she respects you at all."

She's stunned by his simple reply, and she's even more stunned by his tone. It's no longer angry, just monotone. She turns to Brock, who's kept quiet until now, but the boy just seems to be observing Paul intently as he turns and begins to leave again.

"Paul, wait!" She calls out to him after a moment, and for some reason he stops again, "Let's battle again sometime."

She's suggesting this because despite how rude Paul is, she truly does want to battle him again. He's strong, and tactical, and she feels as if they can learn a lot from each other, even if he doesn't exactly feel that way.

He doesn't give her any form of confirmation, but he also doesn't say 'no', which she chooses to take as a yes, or at least a maybe. Her and Brock as Paul leaves, only turning away when they can no longer see him from where they're stood.

"I still don't get that guy." Casey murmurs, and she's pulled out of her complex thoughts about Paul by Brock, who lays a hand on her shoulder and smiles.

"Lunch should be ready." He says, addressing the entire group, "Everyone hungry?"

"Gastro!"

"Bzz!"

"Yeah, I could eat." Casey says, shrugging. She's not particularly hungry, but she might as well considering that her Pokemon are. They deserve a nice meal after all their hard work.

So she sits down to eat dinner with her Pokemon and Brock and his Pokemon, though her thoughts are preoccupied thinking about Paul for the most part, more specifically what he said. Cynthia respects her? The very thought of that makes her more excited than perhaps anything has before, but the hatred that Paul directed towards her for that fact is taking precedent in her mind.

Sure, she's seen Paul act angrily in the past, but nothing like how he acted today.

She remains stuck in her thoughts throughout the entire meal, and she's certain that at least Brock notices it, but he doesn't call her up on it once, something which she greatly appreciates.

All she can do now is keep training, she figures. After all, she may be battling Paul again in the future, so she best be ready for it.


	30. The Timeline - Let's Clarify Some Things

Alright, so I've been thinking about the timeline of the main series in relation to this story. I've decided to alter some of the ages of the characters, so I figured that I'd lay that all out in one document and update it as and when things change with the story.

 _ **Start of the Story:**_

I've decided to make Ash 13 in this story. My reasoning for this is as follows:

\- I envision Ash's Kanto Arc and most (if not all of the Orange Islands Arc) to take a year. There's 116 episodes in those two arcs combined, and obviously not all of these singular episodes took place in the span of one day (as witnessed through the episodes). If you also take into account the travel time between cities and such, I believe a year is a could estimation. This places him at 11 when the Johto League arc starts.

\- I believe that Ash's Johto arc would've probably taken about 10 months. Though this arc has more episodes than the previous arcs combined, Ash would've been a more experienced trainer at this point, which is why I think it would've taken him slightly less time to travel around Johto than the previous regions/areas. This places at him being a couple months out from turning 12 when the Hoenn arc starts.

\- The Hoenn arc has 131 episodes. I've always figured that the League Conferences must occur in succession to one another, because if all the conferences occurred at the same time every year, then characters like Charles Goodshow wouldn't be able to appear at them all (which he does up until Gen 4). I've placed the Indigo Conference in late April due to the fact that it's been thought that Ash got his first Pokemon in April, meaning that if a year passes on his Kanto journey, he'd be just in time to compete. I've placed the Silver Conference in early June, due to my timeline of his journey in Johto taking 10 months.

Due to it being shorter than the Johto arc in terms of episodes, I've placed Ash's Hoenn journey at 9 months, which places the Ever Grande Conference in March, by which time Ash would've turned 12 and would be about 5 months out from turning 13.

\- The Battle Frontier Arc only has about 60 episodes, which I think would be perfect to fill that 5 month void between him turning 13.

For these reasons, I place Ash at 13 at the start of this story.

I've decided to place Dawn at 12 in this story. I know that canonically that doesn't make the most sense, but I felt that it would be odd to place her at 10 whilst I age everyone else up. Furthermore, placing her at a year younger than Ash makes sense from an experience standpoint, which we have seen be reflected in the anime through the relationship between the two characters in how Ash acts as a pseudo mentor to our favorite Coordinator.

I've placed Brock at 18 in the story. His canonical age is 15, so as I have aged Ash by 3 years, I figured it would be best to do the same to Brock.

Now, when it comes to Casey's age, I have decided to place her at 15.

I reckon she would've started her journey at 12 instead of 10, simply because she would've wanted to learn more from her Grandpa before heading off. Plus, she would've assisted in raising Monferno when he hatched as a Chimchar, and I suspect she would've prolonged her stay in the hope that he might've been able to come with her (which, as we know, it couldn't at first).

She previously had travelled through Kanto and Johto, but the difference with her journeys is that she took them alone. This, coupled with the fact that it was uncharted territory for her, would've made her journeys take longer than Ash and Brock's.

Her Johto journey was the one she took first, which would've taken her about 13 months (which is plausible since she would've started about a month and a half before that years Silver Conference, and therefore would've made the one the following year). This places her at 13 by the time she starts her Kanto journey.

I believe her Kanto journey would've also taken her just over a year (during which time she would've turned 14), which means that she would've missed the next Indigo Conference that would've occurred in April. Due to this, I believe she would've taken some respite from the end of her Kanto Journey (about July) to the next Indigo Conference (the following year) in order to train and be ready.

9 months later, she would've competed in the Indigo Conference before heading back to Sinnoh, where she would've gone back home for a while before setting off again on her next journey in her home region, and during that layover time she would've turned 15, placing her at her starting age of 15 at the start of the story.

 _ **End of the Story:**_

Don't worry, we're nowhere near this point yet, but I thought that I'd clarify the length of the Sinnoh journey and what the character's ages will be at the end. There's 191 episodes in the Sinnoh arc, but quite a few of them are double episodes or occur in direct succession, so I reckon that the story's event occur over about 8 months. Unorthodox, I know, but please just go with it XD. Logically, this places all the characters at about a year older than they were at the start of the story by the end.

Therefore, the character's ages will be:

Casey - 15 (nearing 16)

Ash - 14

Dawn - 13

Brock - 19

 _ **Sequels?**_

Yes, I do intend on writing sequels. I have decided that I will be skipping the Unova arc for Casey, but I do have something planned that will fill that void for her story wise whilst Ash is in Unova. I believe Ash's Unova journey took about 7 months, because lets be real in saying that the Decalore Islands arc couldn't have taken that long at all.

That will place Ash at 14 still heading into Kalos, whilst Casey will now by 16. I've decided to make both Serena and Clemont 14 like Ash, but I have chosen to keep Bonnie at the age of 8 as she seems to be canonically, simply because if I aged her up by the same amount as I have as the other characters, she'll be an eligible trainer herself and her role wouldn't make much sense.


	31. Returning Home

**This chapter's one of my favorites. Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

 _Sure, she's seen Paul act angrily in the past, but nothing like how he acted today._

 _She remains stuck in her thoughts throughout the entire meal, and she's certain that at least Brock notices it, but he doesn't call her up on it once, something which she greatly appreciates._

 _All she can do now is keep training, she figures. After all, she may be battling Paul again in the future, so she best be ready for it._

* * *

 **Route 213 - Sinnoh**

"So, you've never seen Monferno's Blaze before?" Ash asks to her left, tone curious, as they begin to climb up yet another hill on their way to Pastoria City.

They left the Valor Lakefront a couple of days ago for Pastoria City, everyone eager to head there not only for her and Ash's next Gym Battle, but to also meet her Grandpa and Pokemon. They ran into Paul on their way, something that Casey wasn't too surprised by.

It's not like he could've gotten that far ahead of them, anyway.

They didn't really say much to one another, even after Paul accepted Ash's offer for a battle. Casey just sat with Dawn and Brock and observed the battle, which was going completely fine until Chimchar's ability kicked in for the first time. Casey and the others watched in horror as the Chimp Pokemon completely lost control; Ash barely managed to calm him down.

So now, as they're not far off from reaching Pastoria City, Casey and Ash are discussing the ability, the latter hoping the former can offer some kind of advice on the matter.

"No. Never. I've read about it, so I understand how the ability works and all, but it's never kicked in for Monferno." Casey replies, carefully considering her answer before responding, "The Pokemon with the ability has to practically be at breaking point, you know? Barely hanging on by a tether."

She figures that's why she was so surprised to see Chimchar in that way. She's never seen Monferno get like that, not even when he was still a Chimchar. The ability's just never kicked in for him.

"So Monferno's never been like that?"

"He must've been. He's had to have been. I guess he's just never been _that_ far gone." Casey explains, "But I do know that Chimchar shouldn't have looked like that."

"It was scary to watch." Dawn admits to her right, face pale at the thought of the situation.

Casey may not be fearless, but she doesn't easily get scared that often, and what happened with Chimchar frightened her. It scared all of them, even Ash, and she has a feeling that it's likely to happen again. Perhaps they might not be able to prevent that, but at least they can try and prepare for it.

"Look, I know that I've never seen it with Monferno, but if Chimchar becomes like that again, we'll do everything we can to help." She offers without hesitation.

"Thanks, Casey." Ash replies, Pikachu chiming in with a 'thank you' from his shoulder.

"Don't mention it." Casey replies, smiling, "I'm sure that you'd do the same for me."

The group slips back into a comfortable silence as they continue to make their way up the hill, finally stopping once they reach the top to admire the view. Or, in Casey's case, to admire the familiar view.

From the gorgeous stream that runs through the city, to the copious amounts of trees that surround it, she recognises it in an instant.

"Is this it?" Brock asks.

"Yeah. This is home." Casey nods, a smile on her face so wide that it hurts.

She takes off in a run towards her home, calling back to the others to follow her as she goes, and she's almost tripping over her own feet because of how fast she's going. She passes by the village store, and the old Pokemon School that she studied at for years when she was younger, and she's surprised that the others manage to keep up with her.

She's practically vaulting herself over the white-picket fence surrounding her Grandpa's ranch - her _home_ \- when she reaches it.

She's elated to be home.

She made it back, and her friends are right there with her, albeit a bit breathlessly.

"Please...don't take off like that." Dawn gasps out, bent over as she tries to catch her breath.

Casey looks to her friends apologetically, "Sorry, guys. I probably should've given you more of a warning, huh?"

"That...that would be nice." Brock says, standing up straight as his breathing becomes less staggered.

"Teddi-ursa?"

Casey hears a familiar cry from behind her that instantly brings a smile to her face. She turns around, her smile growing even more at the sight of an old friend.

"Teddi!" Her Teddiursa practically cheers, rushing towards her and jumping up into her awaiting arms with a gleeful cry.

"Hey, Teddiursa! How you been?" She asks, pulling him back after hugging him tightly.

"Teddi! Teddi-ursa!"

"So cute!" Dawn squeals, and with that the period of peace and reunion is shattered like a thin pane of glass going up against a brick.

Teddiursa, while admittedly adorable, hates being labelled as such. Maybe it has something to do with his pride, but he's always hated being ogled over for his cuteness. That's something that Casey learned soon after first meeting him.

She can't blame Dawn - after all, she couldn't have known - but now she's struggling to hold Teddiursa back as he attempts to use Thrash from her arms, Dawn and the others cautiously backing up as he becomes more and more enraged.

"We don't use that word around Teddiursa!" Casey yells, her words barely making it out as she struggles to restrain the Little Bear Pokemon.

She begins to feel him slipping out of her grip, and she almost considers circling herself around him in an attempt to protect her friends, but then she feels him being ripped from her arms by a strong voice, and that plan gets scrapped from her mind.

A blue aura surrounds Teddiursa's small frame, and she watches as her Xatu lowers Teddiursa to the ground by his feet. It's a sight that's familiar to her; she travelled through Johto with the both of them, and Xatu would often be the one to calm Teddiursa down when he got himself into a state when she herself couldn't manage the task.

The aura vanishes, and all it takes is one look at Xatu for the rage to leave Teddiursa, and the previously angered Pokemon stands subdued by Xatu's side.

"Thanks, Xatu." Casey says, thankful for Mystic Pokemon's sudden arrival, "It's good to see you."

Xatu nods before taking off again.

 _Yeah, that's the Xatu I remember._

"That Xatu belongs to you, Casey?" Ash asks, voice sounding impressed.

"Yeah. He's a bit reserved, but he's the only one who can really calm down Teddiursa when I can't." Casey explains, looking back to her friends, "Besides, my Pokemon all sorta respect him, so he's really helpful when it comes to settling disputes between them."

She found Xatu back when he was just a Natu near the Ruins of Alph, and even then he was a reserved being. He didn't really fit in with the flock of other Natu and Xatu that she found him with, which were rather loud and boisterous. Still, he was kind, and she even saw him giving up some of his food to the other Natu who seemed younger than him.

That's why she chose to catch him: his pure kindness and goodwill.

"Teddi!" Teddiursa cries out suddenly from behind her, and he sounds panicked and far different to how he did before.

She looks back in his direction, noticing the four figures in the distance that are approaching at rapid speeds. They don't need to be up close for her to figure out who it is. One's rushing at her with a Rapid Spin, another using ExtremeSpeed, another rushing her way with a Quick Attack. Perhaps most terrifying of all is the figure coming towards her using Take Down.

"Oh, no." She murmurs, face paling. "Move out the way!" She shouts to her friends, jumping to the side herself in a desperate attempt to avoid the rapidly approaching figures.

The others, Teddiursa included, dash to the other side, which is good because they're no longer being targeted, but the figures in question are so fast that they manage to redirect themselves with ease, and soon all four of them are crashing into her with intense force that sends her down to the ground in an instant.

Wartortle, a Pokemon that was gifted to her whilst he was still only an egg for winning a tournament in Saffron City, jumps onto her stomach, his cries as fast as his Rapid Spin was. Her Arcanine and Jolteon each nuzzle their heads under either arm, the former being the only girl of the small group. She was the only female Pokemon that travelled with Casey throughout the Kanto Region, so the two of them formed the additional bond that comes with being the only girls among a group of boys. Rhyhorn stands at her feet, noticing how she's being smothered at the minute, and choosing to let the others have their time first. Rhyhorn's the oldest out of her Kanto Pokemon, and because of that he's always been like a de facto older brother to them all. He developed a very selfless attitude because of that role, something that Casey's still immensely proud of him for possessing.

"Wow! I forgot how fast you guys are." Casey chuckles, sitting up and smiling around at the group as they all try to get closer to her, "Yeah, I know! I missed you guys, too!"

"Wow! Your Wartorle can use Rapid Spin just like May's!" Dawn says from behind, watching the Pokemon curiously along with the others.

Ash seems mesmerised by them all, whilst Brock seems observant. Teddiursa's gone, but she expects that's because he's found something else to play around with. Sometimes he has his head in the clouds and gets distracted quite easily.

"Yeah, and he packs a punch with it." Casey replies, then looking over to her left, "Arcanine, can you go let Grandpa know that we're here."

Arcanine nods before bounding off in the direction that she came, and the others go rushing off after her playfully like it's some kind of game.

That's something that she always appreciated about her Kanto Pokemon: their love and affectionate attitudes towards one another. They're always up for helping each other or playing together.

"You have loads of Pokemon, Casey!" Ash remarks as she stands, his and Pikachu's eyes lit up with glee.

"We haven't even met them all yet, Ash." She replies, playing into his excitement because she understands fully well for herself. She experiences it pretty much every time she meets a Pokemon, even if she's met another one of its species before. She feels like it's a sensation that most - if not all - Pokemon Trainers experience.

"Really?"

She nods, offering to the lead the group further into the ranch. They follow on after her as they walk through a surprisingly empty section of the ranch (then again, it is quite big, so all the Pokemon are likely in different areas).

They begin to see the house in their line of sight, and Casey smiles fondly at the familiarity of the building.

It's the house that she was raised in. The house that she ran around in and played in for years.

It seems to look smaller and smaller every time she comes home.

Still, it's a large house. Four bedrooms, with three additional rooms for any Pokemon that may opt to sleep inside at night, which comes in handy if it ever storms. She'd always help her Grandpa round up the Pokemon and get them inside when it stormed - something that she had to do more so herself the older he got.

As the house gets even closer, so does her Grandpa, whose being assisted by her Machoke. Machoke's always been a kind soul, which you wouldn't expect from him from his strong, muscular appearance. You'd think he'd be disciplined, which he is when he's in battle, but he truly has a heart of gold and a boundless sense of humor.

"Casey, my dear! It's so good to see you!" Her Grandpa says, a bright smile on his wrinkled face at the sight of her.

"Hi, Grandpa." She replies, crossing the rest of the distance to give him a hug. It saves Machoke having to assist him the rest of the way. He has his walking stick, but he's always preferred to rely on the Pokemon.

Walking with them provides him with company.

"It's good to see you too, Machoke." She adds, pulling back to smile at the Superpower Pokemon.

"Ma-choke!" He replies, surprising her when he reaches forward and pulls her under the arm that her Grandpa's not holding onto.

"You're still as strong as ever, I see." She says as he releases her from his strong grip, chuckling when he reaches up and lightly tussles the hair on her head with a cheeky grin.

 _Ah, good old Machoke._

"I see that you've brought some friends with you." Her Grandpa says, his eyes drifting over to Ash and the others, "Aren't you going to introduce them to me, my girl?"

"Grandpa, this is Ash, Dawn and Brock." She replies, gesturing to her respective friends, "Oh, and don't forget about Pikachu and Piplup."

"Pika-Pikachu!"

"Pip-lup!"

Both Pokemon greet her Grandpa warmly from their trainer's shoulder and arms respectively, and then their trainer's do the same.

"It's lovely to meet you, sir." Brock says politely.

"Yeah, thanks for letting us come to your ranch." Ash adds, Dawn echoing his sentiment.

"Oh, please. Any friends of my darling Casey are friends of mine." Her Grandpa replies, smiling brightly at them all, "And, please, call me Jeffery."

Everything seems to be going just fine, but then the distant sound of a familiar cry ruins it all. It's a mixture of rage and surprise, and it's a cry that she recognises.

"Oh, dear. Not again." Her Grandpa mumbles, tone grave.

That makes her panic even more. He's heard this before.

"Was that Mankey?!" She asks, but she doesn't even wait for an answer before she's taking off in the direction of the cry. The others run behind her, with her Grandpa and Machoke trailing behind at a far slower pace, and she's crying out manically as she goes.

"Mankey! Mankey, where are you?! Mank-!"

She stops, both her running and her sentence, when she reaches a small clearing in the ranch, the sight of her Scizor standing between her Mankey and Metang bringing her to a halt.

Mankey looks frightened, presumably of Metang, who is glaring at him from the other side of Scizor. The Pincer Pokemon in staring intensely at Metang, his pincers raised defensively and his legs poised.

"Sci-zor! Zor! Zor!" He yells, brandishing him arms wildly in an attempt to appear threatening.

"Meta! Met!" Metang bites back, standing its ground.

The tension between the two of them is unprecedented. For Metang, she can tell that it's hatred, but she's travelled around long enough with Scizor in the past to see past that for him. Sure, he's angry, but there's something else there.

It's almost like pity.

"What's going on?" She asks, cautiously attempting to dissolve some of the attention.

"Zor?" Scizor murmurs, his guard temporarily lost as he turns towards her.

Mankey looks at her too, his fear long forgotten as he rushes towards her and climbs up onto her shoulder, shielding himself by hiding into her side. Metang takes this as a chance to take off, disappearing deep into the forest area of the ranch before anyone can stop it.

She notices that Scizor's ready to follow it, and she knows that she can't let that happen or there'll be an all out war on her hands.

"Scizor, stop!" She orders, voice steeled. He stops, though he still looks ready to fly off in an instant, "It's not worth it. Trust me on this one, okay? You trust me, don't you?"

She sees the tension leave Scizor's body, and his pincers ultimately come to rest at his side.

Scizor's always been the protective type. He looked out for Mankey and Teddiursa in particular during their travels through Johto, because the two of them were the youngest and the smallest out of the group. That in no way makes either of them weak or defenseless, but it sure did make Scizor's protective tendencies kick in.

Behaviour like that is all well and good, that is until someone ends up getting seriously hurt.

She hesitantly walks towards Scizor, Mankey still on her shoulder, and reaches out to place a hand on one of his pincers, a gesture she often used to comfort him in the past. He turns to her, and though she can still see the anger in his eyes, there's a flicker of recognition and warmth in them too.

"You miss me?" She asks, smiling.

He nods, and she can't help but laugh at the way he's trying to remain collected and brooding. He begins to walk way, heading in the opposite direction to where Metang went, and Mankey jumps off of her shoulder to follow him.

"What was that all about?" Dawn asks from behind, concerned.

Casey looks to her Grandpa knowingly, and he looks back at her in the same way, "As you can see, Metang hasn't changed one bit since you left it with me."

"What do you mean, Jeffery?" Brock asks, and it's clear to Casey that her friends are beyond confused.

She probably does owe them an explanation. After all, she'd want one if she was in their position, but then her Grandpa makes the offer of lunch, and none of them can ignore the hungry feelings in the pit of their stomachs for any longer.

They head back towards the house, Machoke continuing to assist her Grandpa up until when they're reaching the front door of the house before heading off into the ranch. The group make their way inside, and when they head into the kitchen Casey finds herself smiling at the sight of an old friend.

"It smells great in here, Exeggutor." She says, breathing in the fresh aroma of the stew that her Exeggutor's mixing with the help of his Psychic attack.

"Exeg-gutor?" He murmurs, his face lighting up when he turns around and lays his eyes on her. "Exeggutor!" He cheers, using his Psychic attack to pull her towards him.

She laughs as she moves through the kitchen and over to Exeggutor's side, where she hugs him tightly, "I've missed you too."

"Wow! An Exeggutor!" Dawn gasps as Casey pulls back from Exeggutor, reaching into her pocket to withdraw her Pokedex.

 _"Exeggutor, a Coconut Pokémon. Also known as "The Walking Tropical Rain Forest." Each coconut has a distinct face and its own character."_

Dawn places her Pokedex back into her pocket, looking on in awe as Exeggutor turns back towards the food and continues preparing it.

Exeggutor's similar to Machoke in the sense that he always wants to help. You'd think that not having arms would inhibit his ability to do so, but he always finds a way. She noticed that determination and goodwill the moment she met him, and that's what ultimately prompted her into catching him.

He's been a great friend and excellent battler ever since.

"Need any help in here, Exeggutor?" Her Grandpa asks, gesturing to the food. Exeggutor pauses, clearly considering his offer, before declining with a curt nod and going back to the food again. "Very well. Let's head out into the garden. I believe Lanturn and Magcargo may be out there."

Her ears perk up at the mention of Lanturn and Macgargo, the only two of her Pokemon that she's yet to reunite with. She makes her way towards the garden, walking straight through the patio area to the pond at the end of the garden, where she suspects she'll find Lanturn.

She kneels down at the edge of the pond, smirking at the sight of a faint light beneath the clue blue waters.

"Hmm, I wonder where Lanturn must be?" She asks rhetorically, playing into the game that she's played before. Lanturn then pops up from her 'hiding place' and splashes a small amount of water in Casey's direction, who laughs lightheartedly at her behaviour.

"Still up to your old games, huh?" She remarks, reaching out to pat Lanturn's head affectionately, who responds with a content cry.

Lanturn's always been the playful type. She likes to play around, and even if that sometimes gets her in trouble with other Pokemon (Casey lost count of how many times she had to scold her for messing with Teddiursa during their Johto travels), she still remains optimistic and bubbly. Even in battle, Lanturn has faith until the very end.

"Pip-lup? Lup?"

She turns around, spotting Piplup poking at a familiar shell structure that's nestled in the corner of the garden. She knows what's about to happen, but it's unfortunate that she's too late to stop it.

Magcargo slides out from within his shell, letting out a loud yawn that causes a stream of fire to come out of his mouth and hit Piplup directly in the face.

"Ah! Piplup!" Dawn screams, face paling in horror as she sees Piplup's burnt face.

"Sorry, Dawn. I should've warned you guys about that." Casey says, standing up and walking back towards the group, "Magcargo does that when he wakes up sometimes. I didn't get used to it until I got burnt at least a dozen times."

She winces at the memory of the same thing happening to her. On the bright side: at least it helped her learn more about Magcargo.

Magcargo loves to sleep, more so than perhaps any Pokemon she's ever travelled with. Sometimes she wonders if Magcargo's actually a Snorlax trapped in the wrong body. Still, when needed, Magcargo pulls through in battle by being fully alert and ready to face any challenges thrown his way.

They sit for lunch shortly afterwards, tucking into Exeggutor's freshly made stew coupled with a batch of freshly baked rolls. It's a nice home cooked meal, which, despite loving Brock's cooking, is something that she's seriously missed whilst travelling.

She has questions, and she chooses to wait until they're all a fair bit through their lunch before asking them. She waits for Ash to finish explaining to her Grandpa what it's like to live in Kanto before speaking up.

"So, I'm guessing by what happened out there that theres been no progress with Metang."

He sighs, shaking his head regretfully, "I'm afraid not."

"Does it not even listen to Xatu?" She asks, because she surely would've thought that Metang would at least listen to him if no one else.

"I catch Scizor trying to fight it off from attacking the others at least eight times a week. Sometimes even more."

That makes the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach grow even deeper. Metang can get out of control sometimes, but she wouldn't have expected it to happen _that_ much.

"But if you're trying to fight it off, won't it be better for Arcanine or Macgargo to do that? After all, they're Fire-Types." Dawn suggests.

"We don't want Metang to get hurt, my dear." Her Grandpa replies, smiling sadly, "Since Scizor is a Steel-Type Pokemon, his attacks won't do enough damage to seriously hurt Metang. Just enough to deal with situation at hand."

 _Yeah, because that's what Metang's become now. A situation._

"You've told us about Metang before." Ash says, looking to Casey, "What exactly happened with it? Why doesn't it listen to anyone?"

She sighs, but she knows that she shouldn't, because she owes them an explanation and now that they've seen Metang's behaviour she's going to have to give them one regardless.

"I met Metang whilst I was in Johto. This guy - he was a lot like Paul, in many ways - was training Metang along with another at the same time. I ran into him around Blackthorn City, and it was there that the other Metang evolved into Metagross in a battle against my Mankey, which was great for it, but not so good for Metang."

She remembers the guy well. He gave off the vibe that he thought he was above everyone else, just like Paul often does. She didn't really like him.

"What do you mean?" Ash asks, leaning forward subconsciously as he listens intently.

"The guy didn't want Metang anymore. Said that it was weak in comparison to Metagross. He was willing to abandon Metang, which he said he had raised since it had hatched as a Beldum. I tried to get him to change his mind, cause Metang wouldn't know how to survive on his own because it had never been on its own before, but he wouldn't listen." She explains, cringing at the memory of his vile behaviour, "So, I said that I'd take Metang with me, which was something that Metang wasn't happy about."

"Why not?"

"That's what I don't know. Maybe it doesn't respect me, or maybe it's because its previous trainer abandoned it, but it just never listened to me." She says, pausing for a second to consider why that is.

Not that she hasn't already considered that over a hundred times already. It's something she's never been able to figure out.

"After a while, I sent Metang back here, hoping that my Grandpa might be able to get through to it, but that hasn't worked either." She continues, finishing off her explanation into Metang's backstory.

She felt ashamed to be sending Metang to her Grandpa. Sure, he was a Pokemon Breeder, and he has an abundance of experience with caring for and training Pokemon, but she still feels like it was her job to do that for Metang.

"Metang rarely socializes with the other Pokemon, unless it's to get into an argument with one of them. When I fed them lunch today, it didn't even show up. Most days I leave out food for it in the area it sleeps in, but it never comes out to eat while I'm there." Her Grandpa tells them, and Casey's surprised because she didn't even know that fact about Metang. It only makes her feel even worse about the situation.

"I only know its eaten when I come back and find the empty dishes." He adds.

"But couldn't that just be one of the other Pokemon?" Brock asks logically, because in a sense he could be right.

"They don't dare go near Metang's space." Her Grandpa says, "Not even Scizor. He only steps in when Metang comes towards them."

"It's a shame, because Metang is powerful. That guy may have been a jerk, but he trained it well. The few times it did somewhat cooperate in battle, its attacks were strong. I'd love to compete with it again." Casey explains, her thoughts drifting to the few times she had the opportunity to see Metang in action.

It could use such powerful moves, and it rarely missed when it did. And even if it wasn't as strong as it is, that guy still shouldn't have cast it aside. She still doesn't understand how someone can do such a thing.

"So, when am I going to meet all the Pokemon you've caught here, then?" Her Grandpa asks, swiftly moving the topic of conversation onto something less bleak, which Casey thinks is something that everyone appreciates.

"Round up the gang. You can all meet them together." She replies, embracing the change by standing up from her seat and showing that she's ready to go.

Her Grandpa nods, turning towards Lanturn's pond.

"Lanturn!" He calls to the Light Pokemon, who turns to face him in an instant, "Gather everyone to the front lawn, please!"

Lanturn nods, looking up to the sky and firing a brightly colored beam up into it. Both Dawn and Ash's eyes light up at the sight of it, and even Pikachu and Piplup watch the display in awe.

"Lanturn used Signal Beam!" Brock gasps, clearly impressed by Lanturn's display of the move even as it fades away.

"She can gather all the Pokemon on the ranch to the house by using that move. It's great for mealtimes." Her Grandpa says, adding even more reasons for Casey to be proud of her Pokemon.

She's missed seeing all of the great things, even the simpler ones, that they're capable of.

The group heads outside the front of the house again, with Magcargo, Lanturn and Exeggutor following them out, as the last of Casey's Pokemon make their way there to meet them.

Well, all of them except for Metang, of course.

"Ah! There you are, Shuckle!" Her Grandpa says beside her, smiling down at the Mold Pokemon as he makes his way through the crowd of Pokemon.

"You have a Shuckle, too?" Ash asks, his excitement piquing as it did before, and Pikachu even leans forward slightly on his shoulder to get a closer look at Shuckle.

 _'One in the same, those two'_ Casey can't help but think, smiling.

"No, no, no, Ash. Shuckle's my dear old friend from when I was a lad."

Shuckle's been around for as long as Casey can remember. In fact, he's the first Pokemon she can remember interacting with. She reckons that he's as old as her Grandpa, if not older. He's certainly the oldest Pokemon she's ever met, but he's still got plenty of energy for his age.

Since everyone's arrived, Casey reaches into her pockets and pulls out four Pokeballs, launching them up into the air, "Come on out, everyone!"

Her four Pokemon burst out of their capsules before her others, and it doesn't take long before they all begin to start mingling with one another. Gastrodon kicks it off, heading over to Lanturn first before talking to any of the others. Monferno and Dragonair follow shortly afterwards, before Electabuzz ultimately relents and does the same, the latter fitting right in with Scizor and Xatu.

Ash, Brock and Dawn let their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs too, and it's not long before too many Pokemon to count are on the front lawn. Pikachu and Piplup even join the crowd, and everyone gets along without a hitch.

"They're all getting along!" Ash remarks as they all watch on fondly, "That's awesome!"

"Hey, Grandpa. You know that Brock's training to be one of the world's greatest Pokemon Breeders." Casey says, looking between her Grandpa and Brock, the latter of which seems surprised but also grateful for the mention, "Do you think you could show him around the ranch?"

She reckons her Grandpa could give Brock some good advice when it comes to Pokemon Breeding. After all, he did do it for years, and he still helps to care for her Pokemon even now.

Her Grandpa looks delightfully surprised at the revelation, and he shows no hesitation in fulfilling the request. He hobbles towards Brock, who instantly reaches out to other an arm to him, which he gratefully takes.

"Of course, my boy. If you'd like, you can help me with some of my daily tasks. It would be lovely to have someone to do it all with. I may have more time to make up a fresh batch of Poffins if we get it all done." He says, clearly excited to have a fellow Pokemon Breeder present.

"I can make the Poffins, if you'd like." Dawn chimes in, her helpful nature kicking in.

"Right!" Ash adds, "Dawn makes some of the best!"

"That would be great, dear. I'm sure Exeggutor would be happy to assist you." Her Grandpa says, clearly appreciative for the help.

However, he was wrong about one thing. She looks to Exeggutor, noticing how engrossed he is in spending time with the other Pokemon. She doubts that anyone will be able to pull him away anytime soon.

"I don't know about that one, Grandpa." She says, nodding to Exeggutor.

"No need to worry. I'll be just fine on my own." Dawn says, noticing how happy Exeggutor is and not wanting to interrupt that.

She heads into the kitchen then, whilst her Grandpa and Brock walk off in another direction, leaving Casey and Ash stood by the plethora of interacting Pokemon. They watch them for a moment, both trainers glad to see their Pokemon so happy, but then Ash realises that they can't just stand there all day and speaks up.

"So, what should we do?" He asks simply.

Casey considers their options for a moment before making a suggestion, going with one of the first things that comes to her mind, "We can go check out my old treehouse?"

"Your treehouse?"

* * *

"I built this place when I was six." Casey tells Ash as she leads him through the woodland area of the ranch, out towards her old treehouse. "Well, my Grandpa built it, but I designed it." She adds, quickly correcting her minor mistake.

"I didn't realise that your Grandpa's ranch was this big." Ash remarks, looking around at the trees as they pass them by.

"Well, yeah. It kinda had to be. Before he retired, he used to look after loads of Pokemon. I couldn't count how many there were most of the time." She explains, shrugging.

She can remember all the times when the ranch was packed full of Pokemon that weren't her own. The amount of Pokemon she got to meet from such a young age was astounding, and it's probably what sparked her interest in becoming a fully fledged Pokemon Trainer.

They continue walking, Casey picking up the pace slightly because she knows that they aren't too far out and she simply can't wait to see the treehouse again. She hasn't seen it in years, so it'll be nice visit it again.

It comes into sight, but that's when she feels herself being suddenly forced into a halt, an unknown strong force keeping her in a fixed position. She knows the sensation.

Someone's using Psychic on her, and she has a feeling on who it is.

And then she's being flung backwards, and she lands flat on her back in the grass by Ash's feet, groaning in pain. Ash reaches down and helps her up, and she finds herself hissing in pain as she stands.

 _That seriously hurt!_

"What was that?" Ash asks, eyes darting around the area rapidly as he attempts to find the culprit.

Casey sighs, the pain subsiding, "This must be where Metang comes to hide."

"Metang?"

"I mean, Xatu and Exeggutor can also use Psychic, but we know where they are and they would never attack me." She explains, "I'm surprised that it'd choose here, though."

"You are? Why?"

"Because it probably reminds it of me." She says, admittedly somewhat shamefully.

Still, she can't quite figure out why Metang would choose to reside here. She may not have seen it, but she knows that it's around here somewhere. There's not a chance they're gonna be able to get inside the treehouse whilst it's here though, which is unfortunate, but she's not about to risk Ash getting hurt as well just for the sake of seeing the inside of a treehouse.

"We should probably head ba-." She begins, stopping when she hears a chorus of distant anguished cries that makes her heart stop.

"What was that?" Ash asks, and she can tell by his expression that his heart has sunk as well.

The two don't say another word to each other, instead rushing back in the direction they came as fast as their legs will carry them, the treehouse and Metang long forgotten. They keep running and running until they're outside the front of the house again, where they find Dawn looking to the sky in absolute horror.

Team Rocket are there in their balloon, grinning gleefully because they've captured every single one of their Pokemon in a ginormous metal cage.

"Team Rocket!" Ash yells, voice laced with rage.

They notice Casey and Ash's arrival, and they seem to take it all in their stride, with Jessie beginning to initiate their monotonous and repetitive motto.

"We've heard it all before! Cut to the chase!" Casey shouts above their incessant noise, and though Jessie in particular looks frustrated to have been cut off, she's so preoccupied by their actions that she moves swiftly on past it for once.

 _Those crooks are probably having a field day right now! I can't stand them!_

"Give us back our Pokemon right now!" Dawn orders angrily.

"No can do!" Meowth taunts, "When the boss sees our haul, he's gonna be mighty impressed!"

Casey tries to ignore the way he refers to the Pokemon, but she can't help the way it only makes her angrier.

"Not only Pikachu, but a whole squad of mega powerful Pokemon! What a treat!" James adds, voice cheerful for all the wrong reasons.

"We'd love to stay and chat, but we've got some cargo to deliver!" Jessie chimes in, and then the balloon begins to drift towards the forest and away from them at an uncomfortably fast rate.

"We have to do something!" Dawn cries, voice desperate.

Casey quickly scans the area, hoping to find something that may be able to help them, but she quickly realises that no Pokemon is going to suddenly appear and come to their aid. She's gonna have to do this herself.

She begins to sprint towards the retreating balloon, and it's when she reaches a tree directly underneath that she leaps up into it. She's climbing as fast as she can, and then she's jumping up onto the cage, barely managing to grip onto it as the balloon passes by.

The Pokemon all gasp at the sight of her, Monferno rushing to the front of the group to see her first.

"Hey, pal. Did they hurt any of you?" She asks, hastily scanning all the Pokemon nearest to her to check for any injuries.

He shakes his head in response, and she can't see any physical damage to any of them, so she at least feels settled in some sense.

"Hold on, everyone! I'm gonna get you all out of here!" She says reassuringly, her eyes scanning the cage in the hopes that she'll find a way to break it down.

 _Maybe if I can find some bolts to loosen, it might come apart._

She manages to spot just what she's looking for after searching for a few moments, but it's on the far end of the cage, and right now she's smack bang in the middle and barely hanging on. There's no way that she can get to it, and even if she could somehow she doesn't get the chance.

A large padded, mechanical fist appears by her side, striking her in the abdomen and causing her to lose her grip on the cage. She cries out in pain as she begins to fall back towards the ground, the Pokemon crying out to her in anguish and fear as she falls further and further away from them.

The wind's rushing past her, and she can feel the force of gravity against her as she falls...and then she doesn't feel either.

She feels herself come to a halt, gently being lowered down to the ground by a familiar force. And when she touches down on the ground, safe and sound, Metang's by her side, its eyes fixed on the cage instead of on her.

"Metang?"

It ignores her, rushing up towards the cage instead. Its hand glows white, seemingly charging up with power, and then it collides with the cage and surrounds it in a veil of bright white light.

She recognises what move Metang was using; it was Meteor Mash, and it's an attack she's never seen Metang use before.

The cage shatters, and all of the Pokemon burst out of it and land on the ground safely, whilst Metang rushes off to deal with Team Rocket. Casey doesn't even get the chance to see what Metang's doing, as all of her Pokemon rush towards her, and it's kinda hard to see anything when sixteen Pokemon are swarming around you.

Not that she's bothered about that, because she's far too relieved to see them all safe and sound to feel that way.

"Casey!" Brock calls, rushing towards her as fast as he can whilst assisting her Grandpa, "We saw what was happening and came as soon as we could!"

Brock's Pokemon instantly make a beeline for him as Casey's did for her, and the kind Pokemon Breeder embraces them warmly despite him clearly being flustered himself. Her Grandpa slowly makes his way towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder when he reaches her.

"Are you okay, my girl?" He asks, voice laced with concern.

"Yeah." She mumbles, unintentionally coming across as distant, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Physically, of course she's fine. Metang saved her, which is precisely what's troubling her. Of course, she's grateful for its help, but she just doesn't understand why it did it?

Ash and Dawn arrive then, and their Pokemon rush towards them in relief just as Casey and Brock's did before them. Both trainers are beyond elated to have their Pokemon back, and neither are even bothered about how it happened.

They're simply so happy to see them.

And even though Casey's just as happy to see her Pokemon, she can't help but think about Metang.

It's truly an enigma that she can't decipher no matter how hard she tries.

* * *

She's up in an instant as soon as she sees the clock tick over to the next hour. It's late - 12am to be precise - and she can see the full moon up high in the night sky from her bedroom window. It's nice to be back in her childhood bedroom, comforting even, but right now her priority isn't remaining in her warm, cozy bed.

She needs to have a conversation with someone.

She makes her way through the house as quietly as possible, not having to waste the time in changing because she never even put her pyjamas on in the first place. She decided on doing this before they even ate dinner.

When she walks out into the front yard, she almost screams when she spots a shadowed figure out of the corner of her eye, but then she takes a proper look and realises there's nothing to scream at.

It's Xatu, and he's standing at the side of the house almost expectantly.

"What are you doing up?" She asks, and the pointed look that Xatu gives her exudes more sass than she's ever seen from him before.

"Yeah, I know. I'm being hypocritical." She replies sheepishly, reading his next expression and sighing, "I'm alright, I promise. I'm just...sorting something out. I'll be back soon."

He seems reluctant, but he ultimately backs down and steps back to where he was before. Casey smiles at him gratefully before taking off into the night, leaving the peaceful and quiet house behind for her destination.

She makes her way through the ranch, heading into the forest area just as she did hours before.

And, just like hours before, she's brought to a halt by a strong psychic force, except this time Metang actually comes out from its hiding place.

Metang flies out in front of her, hovering a reasonable distance away from and looking at her with a mixture of deep-seated rage and confusion.

She doesn't think she'll ever get use to it looking at her like that.

"Metang, it's only me! I promise!" She shouts desperately, as if that's gonna convince it to let her go, "Look, I just wanna talk, okay?"

It seems skeptical, but it surprises her by letting her out of its grasp and settling her gently back down on the grassy floor. She stands her ground, as does it, and a few awkward moments pass before she continues the conversation.

"I know that you've been training. You couldn't use Meteor Mash the last time I saw you." She says, and it's impossible for her to hide the pride in her voice, even if Metang can't stand her.

It turns away from her then, and she panics that it might leave, but it doesn't rush off so she takes that as a good sign.

"Look, I know that you want to battle again. I can tell that you've never stopped wanting to."

It flinches at that, and it's clear that her words have gotten to it at least somewhat.

She figures that it's progress, at least.

"I'm battling Crasher Wake soon. He's the Gym Leader around here, battles with Water-Type Pokemon. He's pretty strong." She continues, pausing for a moment before saying the next sentence, "I'd like you to battle alongside me, Metang."

She knows that she's taking a risk by saying that. Metang's...volatile, to put it lightly. But it's strong, and it clearly isn't only acting on its negative emotions based on its behaviour today, so there's a chance there.

A chance to reconcile and move forward.

"Met?" Metang murmurs, turning back towards her, the curiosity taking the forefront in its eyes.

Even more progress, for sure.

"That means we're going to have to cooperate with each other." She adds, and she can see the reluctance that appears in Metang's face as she says that.

"Look, I don't hate you, and I know that you don't hate me otherwise you wouldn't have caught me earlier. We could accomplish so much if we just worked with each other."

She tries to reason with Metang, but she honestly can't tell if she's won it over or not. However, whilst Metang tends to appear dead-set on everything it does, it actually looks conflicted for once.

"Goodnight, Metang." She says finally, and then she's turning away and making her way back towards the house.

Obviously she's hoping that Metang will take her up on her offer, but she honestly can't be certain either way.

She'll just have to wait and see.


	32. Taking on Gym Leader Number 4

_"Goodnight, Metang." She says finally, and then she's turning away and making her way back towards the house._

 _Obviously she's hoping that Metang will take her up on her offer, but she honestly can't be certain either way._

 _She'll just have to wait and see._

* * *

 **Pastoria City - Sinnoh**

Casey sighs as yet another minute passes. She hasn't got a watch on, but she's been counting in her head. It's a bit tedious, but its given her the chance to keep track of how long she's been waiting outside the front of the house for.

2700 seconds and counting.

It's really not that long, but when you're alone and there's a slight morning chill passing through the area, the wait seems to only get longer. She knows who she's waiting for, and she knows that they know that she's waiting for them, because she saw them last night when she and her friends got back from the Pastoria Gym, and she knows that they saw Ash brandishing his newly won badge proudly before they left.

She hopes that seeing that will be enough of an incentive for them to turn up.

"Are you ready to go, my girl?" Her Grandpa asks as he approaches, hobbling cautiously with the assistance of his walking stick before coming to a rest at her side.

Yeah, of course." She replies, mustering up as much sincerity as she possibly can, as she keeps her sights set on the vast fields of the ranch ahead of her.

Because, the truth is, of course she's not ready to go. She's not gonna be ready to go until Metang is, because that's who she's waiting for and wants to continue waiting for.

"I get the feeling that you're lying." He responds, and she knows that it's less of an assumption and more of a statement.

"What makes you say that, Grandpa?"

"You could never bring yourself to look at me when you lied as a child."

She remembers that. She didn't lie often, but when she did she'd feel awful. If she looked at him even for a while after she did it, she'd become overwhelmed with guilt and end up telling the truth.

"You're making it sound like I was a chronic liar." She jokes, looking to him with a playful smile.

"That was not my intention." He replies honestly, a wistful smile coming to his face as he reminisces, "You were always such a good girl, Casey. Always trying to see the best in people."

"Yeah, well, I still haven't kicked that trait." She muses, because she clearly hasn't otherwise she would've given up on Metang the moment she sent it back here.

"I would've hoped not." He rushes out, almost sounding frightened of the contrary.

A moment passes, one of silence and simplicity, before he speaks again.

"Many forget just how complex the balance between trainer and Pokemon can be. It's like a powder keg: one volatile match and it all blows up."

Her smile fades slightly, but that's only because the realisation is dawning on her face to replace it.

"How did you know?" She asks, clear and simple, because she didn't tell anyone about what happened the other day, not even him or her Pokemon.

She doesn't know why she chose to do that, but for some unexplained reason she felt that she should keep it to herself.

"The events weren't too difficult to piece together." He replies, shrugging, "I'd be surprised if your friends haven't figured it out yet."

She figures that they mustn't have, because they surely would've at least spoken about it in casual conversation at some point. Well, Ash and Dawn would've if they had figured it out. If Brock's realised, she doubts that he'd mention it. Brock understands, more so than Ash and Dawn, when to talk about things and when to leave them be.

"I went out the other night to find it. Told it I wanted it to battle alongside me against Crasher Wake." She explains, because since he knows there's no need to withhold anything from him.

Besides, maybe he can help. He probably can in some capacity.

"That's interesting." He says simply, which surprises Casey cause she was expecting a piece of advice or some philosophical, wise lecture of some kind.

"Why's that, Grandpa?" She asks.

"Well, you have Electabuzz on hand, but you also have Jolteon and Exeggutor and Lanturn."

"You think I should battle alongside them?"

She had considered doing just that. Her battle with Crasher Wake, just like Ash's, is a three on three battle, and she already knew for sure that Electabuzz would be one of the Pokemon battling alongside her, but she could just as easily choose another Pokemon with a type advantage to join her. It makes sense, from a logical and strategic standpoint.

"I think you should tailor the battle to suit your needs. You can either give yourself a far easier time, or you can grant yourself with a challenge. It all comes down to your choices."

 _Ah, so there's the logical piece of advice._

"I just...I was kinda hoping that it would show up, you know? After watching Ash's battle, I just really wanted Metang to get that experience." She responds, trying to hide the apparent disappointment in her voice.

Of course Metang's strong, and having it on her team could be great for her heading forward, but it's not just about that. It's about Metang, and it's about it getting to do more than just hide away from the world. It's about it getting the chance to show just how amazing it really is.

"I'm sure it will one day." He tells her, nodding towards the ranch exit, "Come along. Your friends are waiting for you."

She nods, and then she's matching his slow pace as they make their way to the ranch exit, where she figures her friends are waiting for her. They're walking in a comfortable silence for a while, something that they used to do often when they went on walks around the ranch years ago, but then she remembers something.

"I took Metang's Pokeball, if that's okay." She admits, "You know? Just in case."

She feels guilty about it, because she should've asked because her Grandpa's looked after Metang so well for so long, but he doesn't seemed bothered by it.

"That's alright, my girl. I was actually coming to give it to you anyway. When I couldn't find it, I figured you must've taken it."

She nods, mumbling out another quick apology, and then the silence comes back again.

And then it goes away when she asks a question.

"You once told me that Dad trained a Salamence, right?"

She doesn't expect an answer from him, but when he gives her one she's grateful. She never really asks about her Dad, his son, ever. She was too young to remember him going, but she can remember her Grandpa's grief after.

She was only two when he went, so she never really knew him.

"Most challenging Pokemon that I've never met, that Salamence. Your father trained with it right up until..." He begins to explain, and all of the enthusiasm drains from his face as his voice trails off.

Casey reaches out, briefly placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder before continuing sensitively, "Did he ever get through to it?"

He sighs, considering his words for a moment, and she knows from the look on his face that he's okay. He looks more wistful than upset.

"Your father had a big heart, but sometimes that's not enough. Salamence was crushed when your father passed. It left right after, so maybe he got half way with it."

She doesn't remember that, and you'd think she'd be more likely to remember a ginormous dragon vanishing over a single person vanishing. She can't help but wonder if Salamence is still out there.

"Why do you ask?" He asks, tone curious.

She shrugs, "I was hoping that I could've tried what he did."

Another moment passes, and now she can actually see her friends in the distance, the bright color of Pikachu's fur standing out in particular from such a distance.

"Did she love him?" She asks, but she can't bring herself to look at him, "Mom?"

She can't really remember her Mom. She's found some pictures in hidden places around the house when she was younger, and she was quick to hide those from her Grandpa because she knows that he's not exactly her biggest fan.

She doesn't blame him - she walked out on them not long after her Dad passed and didn't even leave a note.

"You can never know what's going on inside someone else's head." He replies, and it's clear that he's choosing his words carefully, "You can try, but you can never fully know."

She nods again, choosing to leave it at that as they reach the exit to the ranch, where she finds her friends waiting patiently for her.

"Morning, Casey." Brock says, smiling, "You excited for your Gym Battle?"

"What kind of Pokemon Trainer would I be if I wasn't?" She replies, smiling back and nodding to the gate, "Do you guys wanna get going?"

"Met!"

Metang's at her side before she can even turn around, his face stoic and showing no emotion. She looks at it in disbelief, and then she's turning to her Grandpa, who just nods almost expectantly.

"Is Metang coming with us then?" Ash asks, surprised.

"Yeah, I guess so." She says looking to him, and then she's turning to Metang with a soft smile, "Glad to have you here, Metang."

It doesn't acknowledge her, but at this point she'll take anything. At least she's got it on her side for her Gym Battle, which is a start.

* * *

"I must say, I sure am looking forward to our battle, Casey. I want you to show me just how powerful and skilled you and your Pokemon are! So give it your best shot!" Crasher Wake calls out to her from the opposite end of the aquatic pose, flexing his muscles in a strong and sturdy pose.

She's been waiting years for this battle and that's not an understatement. Living in a city with a Gym Leader means you see them at public events and get the opportunity to witness them participate in battles from a young age. She's seen Crasher Wake battle multiple times over the years, which makes you think that this battle would be easy and predictable for her, but she's not letting her guard down.

"Oh, we will!" She replies, confident smirk plastered on her face from where's she stood at her end of the battlefield.

Metang's by her side, but that's because she didn't want to risk trying to force it inside its Pokeball when it first turned up. It's never in it when it's on the ranch, so she doesn't want to scare it off or anger it by making it go inside the capsule just yet.

Besides, it hasn't made a sound, just opting to hover at her side as they wait for the battle to start.

She knows which three Pokemon she's going to battle with, one of which has a direct advantage against Crasher Wake's Water-Types.

Does that mean the battle will be easy? Probably not, but at least it gives her an extra boost in confidence.

"You will each have the use of three Pokemon, and the battle will be over when one of you loses all three of them. In addition, only the challenger may substitute Pokemon." The referee explains from where he's stood at the side of the battlefield.

It's the same rules as most other Gym Battles, so it's not like it's anything new to be getting used to.

Casey turns towards the stands, where her friends and Grandpa are waiting for the battle to begin. By her Grandpa's side sits Monferno and Dragonair, the two Pokemon she chose not to use in this particular battle. She decided against battling with Monferno because of his clear disadvantage, and Dragonair's battled in all of her Gym Battles in Sinnoh so far, so she figured that the Dragon Pokemon deserves the chance to rest.

"Hey! Monferno, Dragonair! I want you two to watch closely, okay?" She calls to the two spectating Pokemon, who respond with enthusiastic cries.

She smiles, turning back to Crasher Wake and giving him a nod to signal that she's ready. He nods back, launching his first Pokeball onto the battlefield with a yell, "Quagsire, on the water!"

Quagsire bursts out of the capsule and materialises on one of the many disc-shaped platforms floating on the waters surface, the platform bobbing against the water slightly at the sudden addition of weight.

 _Starting with Quagsire, huh? That rules out starting with Electabuzz since it's part Ground-Type._

She knows that Crasher Wake's Quagsire is versatile, knowing not only Water-Type attacks but also Poison and Ice attacks too. Thankfully, one of the Pokemon she's chosen for this battle is affected by neither of those types, making it the ideal Pokemon to start with.

"Metang, you're up." She says, turning to the Pokemon in question with a slight smile.

It doesn't look at her, instead hovering right past her to take its place on the battlefield. It sets its sights on Quagsire, eyes narrowing as it scans its opponent carefully. Quagsire seems to shrink back slightly under Metang's gaze, but it quickly readjusts itself as the referee raises his hands.

"The challenger will have the first move! Battle begin!" He declares, swinging his arms down in one fluid motion to signal the beginning of the battle.

"Alright, Metang! Let's start this up with Agility!"

Her aim is to up Metang's speed right from the get-go. She knows that because they have the water to their advantage, Crasher Wake's Pokemon are naturally agile in the battle environment, so she figures that she might as well try to give herself and Metang a bit of a head start.

Sure, Metang's fast, but perhaps not fast enough to contend with Crasher Wake's Pokemon.

Metang, however, seems to disagree with her approach, instead opting to use a completely different move.

It charges right for Quagsire, its claws glowing a bright white color as it charges on forward. Casey recognises the attack: it's Metal Claw.

"Counter it with Water Pulse!"

A large sphere of water rushes towards Metang before it can even get close to Quagsire, and because it's so focused on its attack, it doesn't get the chance to dodge it before it collides with its metallic body.

Metang staggers back, managing to hold itself up but struggling slightly due to the hit, as Casey looks at it in disbelief.

"Metang, what are you doing? I told you to use Agility!" She cries exasperatedly, more confused than angry with the Iron Claw Pokemon, but then it just ignores her and focuses its sights back on Quagsire again, brushing off its attack as if it were nothing.

"Now, into the water, Quagsire!" Quagsire dives down into the water, disappearing from sight and sending Casey into a slight panic.

Sure, she had expected Quagsire to jump into the water at some point, but now that its done it, she can't help but feel on edge.

Metang, on the other hand, doesn't seem remotely bothered by this sudden change in pace, as it responds quickly and without command. Its eyes glow a light blue color, and then Quagsire is bursting up out of the water, a blue aura surrounding its soaked body.

Metang launches it spiralling high into the air, and then its arm is glowing a bright white.

 _Hammer Arm._

Metang viciously bashes Quagsire with a great level, and even though the attack is less effective due to its type, it packs enough of a punch that it sends Quagsire rushing into the wall behind Crasher Wake. Its limp body sags to the ground, spirals covering its eyes as it lays there behind its stunned trainer.

She feels everyone's eyes on her...well, everyone except Metang. It's not even acknowledging her, instead keeping its sights set on Crasher Wake as he returns Quagsire to its Pokeball.

"Quagsire is unable to battle." The referee declares after a few moments of hesitation, clearly surprised by what he's just witnessed just as everyone else is.

"Metang, what's going on with you?" She asks, tone coming off slightly harsher than she intended, but she can't really help it because she's angry and confused, "You've got to work with me here!"

Metang doesn't seem remotely bothered by her stress, simply keeping its eyes forward and seemingly blocking out her frustrated words. The referee, however, does acknowledge her stress.

"Is the challenger okay to continue?" He asks.

Her head turns to her Grandpa, Pokemon and friends, perhaps because she's subconsciously hoping that they'll be able to give her some kind of advice that makes this all pan out in her favor.

But, of course, they can't do that, because when it comes down to it, only her and the Pokemon she's battling alongside can influence the outcome of the battle.

But still, when Monferno gives her a nod and a small smile that fills her with a sudden sense of confidence, she knows exactly what she's going to say.

"Yeah. Bring it on!" She says, sights set back on her opponent despite the doubts still present in the back of her mind.

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Crasher Wake cheers, flexing his muscles and striking yet another battle ready pose. He reaches for his next Pokeball, launching it onto the battlefield, "Floatzel, into the water!"

The Sea Weasel Pokemon appears onto one of the platforms just as Quagsire did before it, and its appearance gives Casey a much needed sense of confidence.

 _Perfect, now it's Electabuzz's time to shine._

Floatzel's just a Water-Type Pokemon. No additional typings, which means that Electabuzz has a direct advantage against it.

Casey reaches into her pocket, pulling out Metang's Pokeball and aiming it at the Pokemon with a simple command, "Metang, return."

The red bolt of light that normally emerges from the capsule races towards Metang, but before it can hit the stubborn Pokemon, it jolts to the side to avoid it, much to everyone's surprise and Casey's chagrin.

"Metang, what are you doing?" She asks, and she's gritting her teeth because she knows that if she doesn't she'll completely snap.

Not listening to her once? Annoying, but manageable. Twice? Increasingly frustrating, but still manageable. But a third time? In her eyes, Metang's being disrespectful.

Ignoring her again - because, of course, that's all Metang seemingly wants to do at this point - it rushes towards its opponent, arm glowing once again as it goes in for yet another unrequested Meteor Mash.

"Dodge it!" Floatzel dives under the water briefly, barely managing to dodge Metang's powerful attack. It resurfaces when Metang retreats back to its end of the battlefield, and Casey's surprised to see that Crasher Wake seems more impressed by Metang's display than confused or frustrated.

"You really like to roll with the punches, don't you?" He asks, though he doesn't wait around for Metang to provide him with an answer (not like it would) before ordering Floatzel's next move, "Now, Floatzel, use Bulk Up!"

Floatzel stands tall and flexes its arms, similar to how its trainer does, as a red tint surrounds its body, similar in appearance to the aura that surrounds a Pokemon when its being hit by Psychic. The tint soon vanishes and Floatzel's arms come to a rest at its side, and from Crasher Wake's choice of move Casey knows that they have to act fast.

 _Bulk Up's made Floatzel a whole lot stronger. We need to finish this quickly._

"Alright, Metang! Use Psychic!"

"Counter it with Razor Wind!"

Metang quickly bails out on using Psychic when sharp blades of wind are fired at it, instead opting to use Agility instead.

 _Right, so now you use Agility?_

In hindsight, Agility is probably the best move that Metang can use considering Floatzel's counter. The move allows Metang to dodge Floatzel's Razor Wind with ease and then retreat back to its corner to regroup.

Well, 'regroup' isn't exactly the word that Casey would use, because she doubts Metang's going to listen to her at all for the rest of the battle.

"Floatzel, let's hit them with Whirlpool!"

Floatzel raises its arms once again, though this time instead of flexing them, it begins to generate a water source above its head. This water source inflates in size, and soon Floatzel's suspending a large and ferocious Whirlpool above it. It directs the Whirlpool towards Metang, catching the Iron Claw Pokemon in the spiralling water cyclone before it has the opportunity to dodge it.

"Metang, no!" Casey cries, watching in horror as Metang spins around within the Whirlpool against its will.

 _Think, Casey, think! If Metang can't fly out, then it's gonna have to break its way out...that's it!_

"Metang, smash it using Meteor Mash!" She calls, and Metang surprises her when it actually listens.

It brings its glowing arm down on the watery spiral, just barely managing to break through it (much to the surprise of Floatzel). Metang plays on that surprise, striking it with the remainder of its Meteor Mash whilst the Sea Weasel Pokemon stands on the platform stunned.

Floatzel cries in pain as the attack collides, and it only barely manages to scramble onto one of the platforms, grimacing as it pulls itself up out of the water.

"Great job, Metang!" Casey praises, though Metang doesn't respond to her. She brushes past it, knowing that if they act now, they can finish up this particular part of the battle, "Let's finish this with Metal Claw!"

Metang ignores her, instead going with Meteor Mash yet again, which she's honestly not too surprised by. She figured that Metang wouldn't listen to her for very long.

"Dodge it and use Ice Beam!" Floatzel jumps up into the air, dodging Metang's attack with ease, and then it begins to generate a light blue ball of energy in front of its mouth.

It launches multiple freezing rays of bright blue light directly at Metang, which it manages to dodge, and before Casey can give Metang a command, it targets a decisive Psychic at Floatzel, launching it into the back wall of the Gym just as it did to Quagsire before.

It's an effective strategy, even if it's not what Casey intended to happen.

"Floatzel is unable to battle! The winner is Metang!"

Casey watches as Crasher Wake returns Floatzel to its Pokeball, thanking it for its performance in battle, as Metang hovers back over to the space in front of her, remaining stoic despite its victory. She's trying to understand where Metang's head is at, because right now it's not giving anything away.

Still, what she does know is that she should probably pull Metang out of the battle now. Though its not sustained that much damage, it still has been hit a couple of times, and she also feels as if she should give Electabuzz and Gastrodon the chance to battle. They deserve the chance just as much as Metang does.

"Metang, you've got to return now. Give someone else the chance to battle, you know?" She calls, hand going back into her pocket so she's ready to withdraw its Pokeball on a moments notice.

Metang surprises her by responding, crying out indignantly at her suggestion.

"Metang, come on!" She groans.

"If it wants to battle, I'd let it battle!" Crasher Wake interjects, prompting Casey to turn away from Metang and look to him, "I'm enjoying seeing Metang's strength! Such pure power deserves to be shown off!"

She still think that Metang should return to its Pokeball, but she knows that if she insists upon that, the Sinnoh League will end up starting before she pulls it off. Besides, if Crasher Wake's enjoying their battle, then she has to be doing something right.

"I'll stick with Metang."

"Excellent!" Crasher Wake cheers enthusiastically. He reaches for his third and final Pokeball, launching it out onto the battlefield for the last time, "Now, Gyarados, into the water!"

Gyarados spawns onto the water, being the only one of his three Pokemon to actually situate itself within the water instead of upon a platform.

 _Crasher Wake's Gyarados has a strong tolerance to Electric-Type attacks anyway, so going with Electabuzz probably wouldn't even be that advantageous._

She's trying to rationalise the situation, because honestly she's not entirely sure if she's comfortable with continuing the battle given the situation. Still, she commands Metang despite her doubts, "Use Meteor Mash!"

Metang surprises her when it actually listens to her, its arm glowing once again as it rushes towards the ginormous Atrocious Pokemon.

"Counter by using Dragon Rage!" Gyarados lurches its head backwards before lunging forward again, releasing a large ball of energy directly towards Metang. The Iron Claw Pokemon dodges the attack without even being prompted to do so, and then it rushes back in to deal a calculated and decisive blow.

Gyarados roars in pain from the attack, and Metang retreats back to its corner as Gyarados struggles to recover from the blow.

"Yes! Great job, Metang!" Casey praises.

Crasher Wake grimaces, taking a moment to consider his next command before dictating it with conviction, "Use Brine!"

"Dodge it by using Agility!"

She half expects Metang to actually listen to her, especially considering that it just did, but it doesn't. Instead, it stands its ground, smashing the Brine attack by using Metal Claw when it approaches. It powers on through the powerful attack, rushing towards Gyarados at top speed and striking it with a strong Metal Claw that sends the Atrocious Pokemon crashing down onto the waters surface.

"No! Gyarados!"

Tons of water rises out of the pool as Gyarados falls down, showering the ginormous Pokemon's body in a thick veil of water. Its fate is revealed as the water falls back into the pool.

"Gyarados is unable to battle! The winner is Metang, and the victory goes to Casey, the challenger!" The referee declares, swinging his arms down to declare the battle as over.

Casey stands there for a moment, the sounds of Ash, Dawn and her Pokemon cheering being drowned out by her spiralling thoughts. She's unsure on how she should be reacting. Sure, they won the battle, but she doesn't feel as if she should take credit for any of it. In her eyes, it wasn't exactly a team effort.

She looks to Crasher Wake, feeling uncharacteristically jealous when she sees him kneel down by Gyarados' head, the two laughing at what she presumes is a joke that he cracks. She has a relationship like that with most of her Pokemon, but not Metang.

Her throat tightens painfully at the sight.

"Met." Metang turns around, face as stoic as ever, and waits in front of her expectantly. She takes the hint, reaching back into her pocket and pulling out its Pokeball for the umpteenth time, and Metang gives a nod at the sight of the capsule.

"Metang, return."

Metang's there, and then it's gone without another word, now concealed back inside the device she tried so hard to get it inside multiple times before. She stares down at the device in her hand, one single thought lingering in her mind above all others.

 _What am I gonna do with you, Metang?_

* * *

She twists her newly acquired Fen Badge around in her hand, admiring the blue and silver detailing on the hunk of metal. She usually feels a sense of pride when she looks at her Gym Badges - they're symbols of how hard she and her Pokemon have worked, a sign of their constant teamwork.

This badge...well, this badge is the anomaly.

She's happy to have it because now she and her Pokemon are one step closer to the Sinnoh League, but she's not happy about how she got it.

Reclining back against the soft couch in the middle of the living room, she places the bottoms of her hands into her eyes with a groan.

"What am I gonna do?"

"Casey?"

She opens her eyes, turning to face Ash as he takes a seat next to her on the couch, Pikachu perched on his shoulder as per usual, "Oh, hey, Ash. What's up?"

"Brock's just finishing up with all the packing and then we're heading out to Hearthome City." He replies, and she gives him a nod back, because her thoughts are far too preoccupied to think up any other response. But Ash, all of his obliviousness aside, notices her lack of communication and presses her for an answer.

"Are you okay?" He asks, voice concerned.

"Yeah, of course." She replies absentmindedly, "I'm just thinking about my Gym Battle, that's all."

"Metang was super strong! It was awesome to watch it battle!" Ash says, and she knows that he's trying to be encouraging, but it's not what she needs to hear right now.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu chimes in agreement.

"It kinda reminded me of Charizard. What do you think, buddy?" He asks, looking to his Electric Mouse friend.

"Pi-kachu."

"Charizard?" She asks, ears perking up in interest, "You have a Charizard?"

"I caught it as a Charmander when I was travelling through Kanto. It was always super strong and a great battling partner, but once it evolved into a Charmeleon, it stopped listening to me." Ash explains, a familiar fond looking crossing his face as he talks.

She gets it too.

"Really?"

He nods, "Charizard would attack me and use the wrong attacks in battle, and in some cases it'd just fall asleep during a battle. It even did it at the Pokemon League."

"Did you ever manage to get through to it?" She asks, because that's honestly what she needs to know. Ash has trained a greater number of Pokemon than she has, so if anyone's gonna know what to do with Metang - if not her Grandpa - it'll be him.

Well, that's the hope, anyway.

"When we were travelling through the Orange Islands, we came up against this guy called Tad and his super strong Poliwrath. Not even Pikachu stood a chance against it, so I decided to use Charizard against it."

"But wouldn't Charizard have the type disadvantage?" She asks, Ash's choice in Pokemon baffling her.

"Yeah, but you see, Charizard was super strong, so I figured it was like a secret weapon." He explains, and of course that makes sense because it's Ash and that's how he chooses to battle, "But then Poliwrath hit Charizard with an Ice Beam that froze its entire body and weakened the flame on its tail."

"But that's really dangerous! If the flame on a Charizard's tail goes out then-." Casey gasps, panic setting in when she realises the severity of the situation.

"Mhm." Ash interjects, a grim expression crossing his face. The expression fades and he continues on, "So I stayed up all night with Charizard to help warm it up."

"And it was okay?"

He nods, smiling, "Charizard felt great the next day, and from that point onwards it started to listen to me again."

"So you understand what I'm going through with Metang." She says, relieved that someone close to her gets it. Sure, her Grandpa saw it with her Dad, but he's not here so it's not the same.

"I just...I don't know what I should do." She sighs, one of her hands coming up to the side of her head to massage her aching temple.

"Bring Metang along with us." Ash says, and she turns to look at him incredulously for his suggestion, to which he seems unfazed, "You want to battle with it, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, I guess." She replies, shrugging, "It's strong, and not just physically. It doesn't like to back down from a challenge, which makes it similar to my other Pokemon in a sense."

"I agree with young Ash, my girl." Her Grandpa says, walking into the room with the assistance of his stick and settling down on the armchair at the side of the room, "I think you should take Metang with you. You could learn a lot from each other."

"You think?" Casey asks.

"Your father learnt a lot from that little Bagon he caught in Hoenn." He replies, smiling.

She feels Ash's eyes on her. She's never really talked about her parents with her friends, and she silently promises herself that one day she will, but it's enough of a challenge to talk about them with her Grandpa as it is.

She'll tell them eventually, but now she's focused on something else.

"Alright. I'll take Metang with us."


	33. Dealing with Stubborn Pokemon

_"Your father learnt a lot from that little Bagon he caught in Hoenn." He replies, smiling._

 _She feels Ash's eyes on her. She's never really talked about her parents with her friends, and she silently promises herself that one day she will, but it's enough of a challenge to talk about them with her Grandpa as it is._

 _She'll tell them eventually, but now she's focused on something else._

 _"Alright. I'll take Metang with us."_

* * *

 **Route 212 - Sinnoh**

Casey strolls behind the rest of the group with Metang hovering at her side, the Iron Claw Pokemon opting to remain as far away from her as it can whilst still remaining on the dirt path.

That's a habit that Metang's kept up since joining them all on their journey. Sometimes it just bursts out of its Pokeball, refusing to go inside the capsule but also refusing to stand by her side.

She figures that it's doing it in an act of defiance, or perhaps just because it's trying to be difficult, but she can't deny that it's frustrating her to no end.

Its behaviour is bizarre, because thick storm clouds that look just about ready to give way are covering the sky, so you'd think that it'd go back inside the capsule to avoid the imminent inclement weather, but apparently not.

As if on cue, the dark sky flashes and thunder rumbles, making the entire group jump with a fright and come to a stop.

"I guess that's it with nice weather for a while." Dawn remarks grimly with a look at the overcast sky.

Casey sighs, turning to Metang, "Now will you go back into your Pokeball, Metang?"

"Met!" The Steel-Type bites back, standing its ground to protest her suggestion.

"Seriously?" She asks, involuntarily scoffing at his behaviour, "Metang, you've got to compromise with me here."

She knew that taking Metang with her would bring up some challenges, but she hadn't expected _everything_ to become a challenge.

"Cleffa! Cleffa!"

The sound of a distinct cry followed by the ruffling of some nearby shrubbery catches everyone's attention, even Metang's. They all turn towards the source of the sound, all of them surprised to find a small pink Pokemon stumbling out onto the pathway.

"It's a Cleffa!" Ash remarks.

Dawn withdraws her Pokedex and aims the device at the small Pokemon.

 _"Cleffa, the Star Shape Pokémon. It has the silhouette of a star in the night sky and some believe that Cleffa ride on shooting stars."_

"It all sounds kinda romantic, if you ask me." Dawn says, pocketing the device and looking at the Star Shape Pokemon with intrigue.

Casey's never actually run into a Cleffa in person before. She's seen pictures of the Pokemon, so she recognised it instantly, but she's never physically seen one before now.

"Cleffa?"

Yet another appearance, this time of a young lady dressed in housekeeping robes, catches the groups attention. She spots the Cleffa and rushes right over to it.

"Oh, so this is where you are!" She cries in relief, scooping Cleffa up into her arms, "I was worried about you! Please don't go so far away again!"

"That Cleffa is so cute! Is it your Pokemon?" Dawn asks as the group approaches the girl, Metang reluctantly following behind Casey as she follows her friends.

"Oh, no. This Cleffa actually belongs to the master of the house." The young lady replies.

"Master of what house?" Ash asks.

"I mean, the owner of that mansion, Mr Backlot. I'm Monica, Mr Backlot's housekeeper." She explains, gesturing up to the ginormous mansion situated on a hill at the top of the dense forest they're walking through.

"I'm Ash, and I'm from Pallet Town." Ash says, and Pikachu chimes in with a small hello of his own.

Dawn introduces herself and Piplup too, and then Casey takes her opportunity to do the same.

"I'm Casey." She says, then pointing to Metang, "That's Metang."

Metang responds with a gruff buzzing noise before then turning away, and Casey flushes red in embarrassment. She considers scolding Metang for his behaviour, but she's not exactly in the mood to cause an all out war, particularly not in front of someone she hardly knows.

The rudeness of the moment is soon forgotten when Brock gives an extravagant introduction of his own, going so far as to kneel down in front of Monica and profess how he'll stay by her side despite barely knowing her.

 _Classic Brock._

Croagunk, as per usual, steps in to deal a swift Poison Jab, immobilising Brock and dragging him away from Monica as he lays there limply.

He snaps out of it just in time to be on his feet for when the rain begins to come down.

Dawn instantly goes to shield her head when the rain comes down, and Piplup shies away from the rain and attempts to hide from it underneath her hair, "Oh, no! It's coming down in sheets!"

"You're all welcome to come back to the mansion." Monica suggests, nodding to a crossroads in the dirt path, "It's right this way!"

The group begin to follow her, eager to get out of the heavy rainfall, but Casey finds herself grinding to a halt when she notices that Metang is, once again, standing its ground.

"Metang, come on!" She shouts, turning to Metang with a pressing look.

It ignores her.

She sighs, turning back to her friends with a forced smile, "You guys head on up. I'll catch up."

"We can't just leave you here, Casey!" Dawn says, flinching slightly as even more rain starts to come down.

"I'll be fine."

She probably won't be. It'll be a miracle if she doesn't catch a cold or something, but she's not about to let her friends potentially suffer the same fate. They reluctantly follow Monica, and Casey takes note of the path that they take before turning back to Metang, who doesn't seem remotely bothered by her clear discomfort.

"You know I'm gonna end up catching a cold, right? You might as well, you know?" She says, because she figures that she can convince Metang to listen to her if its for its own well-being.

It ignores her, which only furthers her frustration.

"Why are you doing this? I know you don't really like me all that much, but this is a new low." She says, and despite her anger her tone is remaining calm.

Metang does respond this time, but it's only by rolling its eyes.

"Did you just-?" She gasps, but she quickly forgets about it and gets back on track, "That's not important right now. We need to get inside."

Lightning strikes again, and Casey doesn't miss the way that Metang flinches, the sight making her face soften.

"You're scared, aren't you?" She asks, and the fact it doesn't answer is enough of an answer in and of itself.

"I know you don't like me, but we can both agree that we'll be better off inside than out here. Just, follow me, okay?"

It doesn't look like it's going to agree with her at first, but then a moment passes and the sky roars and lights up once again, and Metang's quick to rush to her side for the first time. She takes that as confirmation and begins to head up the path her friends took.

She's running, though admittedly not as fast as she could be. She's realised that the path has begun to get slippery because of the rain, and the slight incline of the path isn't making the trek much easier, so running probably isn't the best option.

By the time they're stumbling through the front door of the mansion, both of them are soaked, though Metang's fairing slightly easier due to the fact that the water just slides off of its metallic body.

Everyone's eyes fall on them as they enter, and as Casey's eyes quickly scan the large entrance way, her sights are drawn to a certain Pokemon in particular.

"Is that a Swinub?" She asks, pointing to the Pokemon scoffing a large amount of food from a bowl in the middle of the room.

"Yeah. It's got quite an appetite." Brock remarks, looking slightly taken aback as he looks at the small Pokemon.

Casey reaches into her pocket, quickly scanning the Pokemon's data into the device before pocketing it once again, and she slowly advances into the room alongside Metang, closing the door behind her as she goes.

"You must be Mr Backlot." She says politely, approaching a portly man whose clad in a formal looking grey suit.

"Hello, there. You must be Casey." He replies warmly, "You're also welcome to join us for dinner just as your friends are."

"Thank you, sir." She replies gratefully, "I just need like twenty minutes to dry off."

* * *

Casey slumps down onto the bed in the room that Monica gave to her with a groan, but this time it's not out of frustration. She's bloated from that delicious meal that Monica prepared for Mr Backlot and her friends, which was definitely what she needed after slogging it through all that rain.

Monica was even kind enough to make her Pokemon some food, which explains why Monferno's slumped down on the bed next to her, his stomach full and visibly larger than usual.

"Hey, pal. You feeling okay?" She asks.

"Mon." He groans back.

"Well, at least you're not hungry."

Metang went back inside of its Pokeball eventually, though it was on its own accord and not at her request. It ate some dinner, but it didn't exactly appear grateful about it. Regardless, her Grandpa gave her enough of the special food he's been giving Metang to last a while, and he even gave Brock a recipe for it. The Kanto native said that he'd pick up the ingredients when they reached Hearthome City, so even if her Grandpa's stock runs out, she'll be able to get hold of some more soon after.

Still, even though it's now inside of its capsule, the thought of Metang is still taunting her mind even now.

"Hey, Monferno. Can I ask you something?" She asks, slowly sitting up on the bed and turning to the Playful Pokemon, who too sits up with a bit of effort, "What do you think of Metang?"

"Mon?"

"I mean...look, you respect me right?"

"Mon-ferno! Mon!" He responds, which roughly translates to 'of course I do'.

Unless she's been misunderstanding Monferno this entire time, which would be quite awkward and confusing.

"Why do you do that?" She asks, "Because Metang sure doesn't and I still can't figure out why. His first trainer was awful, and I've always tried to be nice to it, but it still can't stand me."

"Monferno, mon! Mon, mon!"

"Trust me Monferno, it really can't." She admits, sighing, "I just...I want to be its friend, you know? Like how you and I are friends. Like how you and all the other Pokemon are friends. I want that with Metang."

"Mon." He tells her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know, pal. It's just hard, because I really want to battle with Metang, but there's no point if it won't listen to me. The fact that we won in Pastoria was luck and brute strength based, and we can't keep going on like that."

She knows she's being pessimistic, and in hindsight she should at least try to look on the bright side with the situation, but she can't bring herself to do that right now.

It's kinda hard to considering what happened just hours prior.

"I'm not about to give up with it, but...I just want to know what I'm doing wrong." She admits, because that has to be the case. She has to be doing something wrong, because if she wasn't Metang would listen to her and everything would be fine. She just can't figure out what that thing is.

Monferno, on the other hand, seems to have a different perspective on the situation, as he instantly begins to protest her suggestion.

"Monferno! Mon! Mon-ferno!" He cries, punching her shoulder in the process.

"Ow! What was that for?!" She shouts, recoiling back and clutching her shoulder.

"Mon! Mon! Mon-ferno!"

She thinks that his phrases roughly translate to 'what are you talking about, you idiot' and 'I'm trying to get you to understand'. She thinks the insult is slightly harsh, but Monferno doesn't shy away from proving a point when he believes in it strongly, so she probably should've expected it.

"Okay, I get it." She says, relaxing when she realises that Monferno probably isn't going to swing for her again, "I just really want to get through to it, you know?"

"Mon. Mon." He replies, which roughly translates to: 'you will'.

And she's certain that she's not wrong about that one.

* * *

It's the next morning, and the sun is shining brightly over Mr Backlots garden, which is a nice contrast to the sky's appearance the night before. Dawn's inside right now, baking a whole bunch of Poffins for all The Pokemon. Apparently the Swinub, which doesn't even belong to Mr Backlot like all the other Pokemon in the mansion, loves them, so she's making up a bunch for it and all the other Pokemon.

Right now, all of The Pokemon (Casey and her friend's Pokemon included) are socializing in the garden, well, all of them except for Metang. The Iron Claw Pokemon is isolating itself in the corner of the garden, choosing to shelter itself from the sunlight and the other Pokemon by hiding underneath a nearby tree.

"They're all having a real ball! That's great!" Ash remarks, watching the Pokemon with a fond smile alongside Mr Backlot, Brock and Casey.

"You know, it's special moments like these when I almost wish that I could be a Pokemon!" Mr Backlot says with a hearty chuckle.

"Hello! It's snack time!" Dawn calls to them, strolling out into the garden alongside her Pokemon and with a large woven basket tucked on her arm.

She makes her way over to The Pokemon, placing a bunch of bowls full of Poffins in front of them all to enjoy. She then turns to Casey, extending a single bowl out to her with a smile, "I made these for Metang. I figured it might want to eat separately."

"Thanks, Dawn. That's really nice of you." Casey replies gratefully, because the bluenette didn't have to go out of her way to accommodate for Metang. She's a good friend.

She walks over to Metang, her arrival catching its attention, and she places the bowl down in front of it with a smile, "Here you go, Metang."

It looks at the bowl with skepticism, eyes darting between it and her.

"It's food, Metang. Poffins, actually." She explains, "Dawn just made them."

It still looks hesitant, but it ultimately hovers down to the bowls level and takes a bite out of a Poffin, and then it takes a bite out of another and Casey knows that the foods won it over. Casey stands there, relieved to see it enjoying the food, when she hears the sudden cries of multiple Pokemon, followed quickly by the panicked shouts of her friends.

She turns around, shocked to find a large hole in the middle of the garden. At first she's beyond confused, but then a ginormous flying mechanical robot of some kind rises out of the hole, distinct in the huge red 'R' that's plastered across the front, of which she recognises in an instant.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Casey groans, rushing back over to her friends just in time to see Team Rocket emerge out the top of the vessel. She stands by her friends, glaring up at the crooks, "What do you fools want?!"

"Show some respect!" Meowth snaps.

"You guys don't deserve any respect!" Casey snipes back, fists clenched in anger, "Give all the Pokemon back right now!"

Team Rocket never learn, and that's what angers her the most.

"Mr Backlot, this is terrible! Every last bit of our food has disappeared!" Monica cries, running out into the garden with a look of horror plastered upon her face.

"Who could've done such a thing?" The wealthy man gasps, though Casey already knows the culprits.

"Maybe striking a famous dance pose will give you a clue!" James proclaims, striking a flamboyant pose that makes Casey painful.

She senses that their motto is incoming, so she's quick to try and shut it down before it gets to that point.

"Please cut it out! This is painful!" She groans, and it's thankfully enough to make them stop. She looks over at Metang, whose observing the events as they unfold from its position underneath the tree, hopefully, "Alright, Metang! Time to shine!"

She doesn't really know what she was expecting, but she has to admit that she's surprised and quite frustrated when it just turns away from her.

"Metang, are you kidding me?!"

"Boohoo!" Jessie taunts, clearly enjoying their lack of Pokemon in the situation, "Well, this marks the end of our broadcast day!"

"Away!"

All three members of the villainous team cry out victoriously, and then the ginormous machine is rising up high into the sky, taking them and all their Pokemon with it. Ash and Dawn both make a mad dash for the robot, jumping up to reach it and the two of them barely managing to hold on as Casey stands there, stunned and beyond enraged by what's just happened.

And she's not just thinking about Team Rocket.

Ash falls, landing flat on his back against the grass, and Brock hastily rushes over to him in order to help him up whilst the robot rises up high up into the sky and out of reach, taking Dawn and the Pokemon with it.

"Ash, are you okay?" Brock asks, assisting the raven-haired boy to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But we've gotta save the Pokemon!" Ash replies.

The panic's really starting to set in. She hears Mr Backlot request Monica to collect his car and bring it into the garden, but she's not exactly paying much attention to him. She's instead focused on Metang, whose only now decided to come out from underneath the tree to inspect the empty Poffin bowls that the other Pokemon left behind.

 _No, stop it, Casey! They haven't left anything behind! They're coming right back!_

"Metang, I'm being serious right now. I need you to listen to me." She says, voice level and serious, as she approaches it, "Dawn and all the other Pokemon are in danger and we need your help."

As expected, it ignores her, which only adds to her frustration.

"Do you even care? Even if you don't, you should still do the right thing!"

She's aware that she's yelling now and that everyone's eyes are on her, but she doesn't really care anymore. She's fed up with trying to play nice. Sure, hanging around in the rain is annoying, but it doesn't exactly put anyone in any serious danger.

But this? This is a whole other ballpark.

Metang grumbles, turning away from her and beginning to hover towards the pathway leading back into the house. She feels her blood boil at the sight, and she's rushing around to the front of Metang and holding her hands out to block it before she even realises it.

"Met?"

"You're not walking away from this, Metang! I didn't walk away from you, so you're not doing the same to me or them!" She shouts, face flushing in anger.

"Met-tang! Met!"

 _Ouch, that stings._

Though she can't understand Metang nearly as well as she can Monferno, she understood that part.

"I had to leave you with him! Don't you get it? You wouldn't listen! You still don't, and because of that, Team Rocket got away!"

She's completely given up with trying to hide her anger at this point. She's beyond the point with caring because she's fed up and scared and worried about her Pokemon and Dawn. Does that make her a bad trainer? Maybe. But right now she needs to put the needs of the many over the needs of Metang.

Metang also doesn't seem bothered in suppressing its emotion, as its arm suddenly glows brightly, and then Casey's spiralling backwards onto the path after being hit by a crippling Meteor Mash. She groans in pain, clutching at her stomach as she barely manages to stumble to her feet. Metang hasn't moved, and it's glaring at her with pure fire in its eyes.

The thing is: she's even angrier than Metang.

She stumbles towards it, pointing an accusatory finger at it with her right hand whilst her left remains at her stomach, and she's borderline screaming out her words.

"We don't have time for this, Metang! You want to hurt people?! Fine, but don't hurt the people that care about you! Go after Team Rocket, because they're the bad guys, not me! Because when it comes down to it, I know that everyone trapped in that ridiculous robot of theirs wouldn't hesitate to help you!" She screeches angrily, her final words coming out as strangled cries because of how hoarse her voice is.

Metang seems surprised by her sudden outburst, and his metallic body almost seems to deflate. Ordinarily, an overwhelming sense of guilt would overcome Casey at the sight, but she's too enraged right now for that to happen.

"Casey?" Brock says, taking a cautious step forward as she and Metang stand opposite each other in silence, both physically heaving as they take in deep breaths.

"You guys go by car, okay? Metang and I will search from the sky." She says simply, eyes not moving away from Metang.

As if on cue, Monica pulls up with the car at that moment, and she can tell that both Ash and Brock are conflicted on whether or not they should get into the vehicle. She turns to them, forcing a smile onto her face, "It'll be alright. Just go."

Brock accepts it first, prompting Ash to follow him as he and Mr Backlot get into the car. The car's tyres screech as the vehicle shoots off in the direction that Team Rocket went, leaving Casey and Metang stood alone in the garden.

The exchange they have is wordless. It hovers down to the level of her knees, and she climbs up onto its back, gripping onto its sides as it flies up into the sky. Her eyes are alternating between the ground and the sky as she tries to spot Team Rocket.

She's trying not to think about what just happened with Metang by focusing on the task at hand. She can deal with everything else later.

It takes a while, but then she spots the familiar white hat that belongs to Dawn, and more noticeably the yellow robot of Team Rocket. Her friends are already there, and they're watching as Swinub fights off Team Rocket's Pokemon singlehandedly.

She lands down on the ground just as Swinub knocks Carnivine and Yanmega back towards Team Rocket, temporarily immobilising the crooks.

"Casey! The Pokemon are still trapped inside!" Dawn says exasperatedly, pointing at the center of the giant robot.

"Metang, use Meteor Mash on that spot!" Casey orders, pointing to the specific area of the robot that Dawn pointed out. Metang obeys her without question, smashing through the yellow metal casing with ease and leaving a large metal hole behind.

"Excellent job, Metang." She praises, watching in delight as all the Pokemon rush out of the robot happily.

She's mildly aware of Ash and Dawn dealing with Team Rocket along with their own Pokemon, but she's far too focused on her own to pay them much attention. She kneels down on the ground, relief rushing over her in waves as Monferno, Dragonair, Gastrodon and even Electabuzz rush over to her, all of them beyond glad to see her.

The feeling of happiness she feels just by seeing them all, okay and safe and joyous, fades when she turns to Metang. It's stood away from everyone else, even as Dawn rushes back to the group to show them all Swinub (who Casey hadn't even noticed she had caught), and it's staring at her with a mixture of emotions.

Anger, confusion, hurt...and something else that she can't quite figure out.

It's unsettling, and now that the adrenaline and angers faded, she can feel the overwhelming sense of guilt hitting.

It's even more painful than the Meteor Mash.


End file.
